Moments In Time: A Close Up
by AppleL0V3R
Summary: Prompts from Moments in Time that I was requested to expand on, there will 495 total. Collection. ItaSaku. Current: 86. 78 Cliff: Suicidal. She should have known that he would catch up to her, even if she jumped off a cliff. Canon. Next: 87. 82 Physical: Blissful. Sakura could argue that she wasn't happy her dream had been real all she wanted because they both knew it wasn't true.
1. 7 Orgy: Pinky Promise

**Title:** Moments in Time: A Close Up

**Author:** AppleL0V3R

**Beta-reader:** Terror-Of-The-Crimson-Night

**Fandom:** Naruto

**Pairing:** Uchiha, Itachi and Haruno, Sakura

**Chapter:** One – #7 Orgy: Pinky Finger

**Rating:** T

**Type:** One-shot – Complete

**Summary:** Prompts from Moments in Time that I was requested to expand on. 1. 7 – Orgy: Pinky Finger. He'd always be hers just as she would always be his.

**Word Count:** 2,410

**Disclaimer:** If you've heard of it before, then it's obviously not mine.

**Note:** As the summary states these were skits I was asked to turn into actually works. I will always put which one it was and the skit just before the chapter. They won't be in numerical order because I'm doing them as I'm requested. They won't be any more than one-shots though they may become two to five –shots (I will forewarn when that happens) but they won't become stories unless I choose to.

Also I realized I major flaw with my little skit. If Itachi is sixteen, Sakura is eleven. So to fix this I'm not going to change my skit, however I am going to put right here that the lines 'never mind that she was hardly more than his nurse. That fact was easily rectifiable and he did so within a few short months' should be ignored. Thanks and my apologies.

**Request by:** Anime Freak456

* * *

7. Orgy (Itachi)

As the Uchiha clan heir Itachi was never allowed to indulge in anything that could potentially distract him, this included a whole slew of things. But one that wasn't one was women – specifically finding a wife.

By the time he was sixteen they were pushing him to marry and at first he wanted to push back, necessary or not. But he'd already found a spouse and he would take no other, never mind that she was hardly more than his nurse. That fact was easily rectifiable and he did so within a few short months. But instead of having her enraptured he found himself prone to overindulging in her. He was wrapped around her little finger without her knowledge. Not that he minded of course.

* * *

A young Itachi, no more than eight years of age watched with no sign of acknowledgement as his parents argued. They were quiet about it of course, and veiled, but it was clear as day to him. His three year old brother paid them no mind, though, clearly more interested in merely picked at his food.

"Sasuke, eat your food properly." His mother said in a stern voice. And the little boy looked up at her then finally ate the rice ball he'd picked apart without eating so much as a morsel of.

She turned back to her husband. "Well, we can wait." They'd been skirting the topic, for some reason believing that would keep him from knowing just what it was. He'd been announced a genius in his first years of life and they thought he wouldn't figure out something so simple?

He didn't make it known however. There was no point in doing so since it wouldn't change anything. He was still a child and they would always be the parents and therefore the one's who made the decisions including most of his.

Well mostly pertaining to what his future would look like.

"No, the sooner we decide the better. I though you wanted a daughter?"

"I wouldn't mind having a third child no. But only through pregnancy. By marriage can wait." His mother's words were slightly sharp and clearly held a threat to them. Subtle but still blatant to his quick mind. Still he paid neither any attention, what they were arguing about wouldn't matter until much later.

"Sasuke, eat your meat as well, it's just as important as vegetables."

* * *

It was the first time since the entrance ceremony that Itachi had come to greet his brother, the first time he had the time to. At the age of thirteen the still young boy was already bogged down between his clan and village expectations, let alone his parent's and brother's.

Still, picking Sasuke up from the academy would be a treat for both brothers since both already had conflicting schedules at their age and didn't get to see each other as much as either would like. Sasuke more open about this fact then his sibling. Itachi didn't mind, most of his relatives thought that Sasuke annoyed the youngest ANBU captain, but in truth he envied him. He wasn't smothered as Itachi was, he didn't have to worry about the stress of being a clan heir and genius. And while their mother hadn't been able to protect him, she could protect her youngest since he wasn't in the spotlight. As long as the young boy didn't make too big of a scene, the clan wouldn't pay him any special mind. Wouldn't control his life, or even try to. The only one who still held any real tiding in the eight year old's decisions besides Itachi was their father.

Certainly the elder Uchiha hated how Sasuke was neglected by one of the few people he wished would acknowledge him and the other – Itachi himself – could spare the time to make things even slightly easier. At least, not to the small boy's mind. He'd never know how much Itachi had sacrificed.

Forced to give up so much for the sake of his loved ones and loyalty that ran deep, perhaps too deep.

He waited behind all the parents and guardians, so that no unwanted attention would be drawn to him, but put himself deliberately in his brother's path.

Black eyes watched in silence as the younger kids rushed to their parents and the older ones stayed with their friends. It wouldn't be long now until Sasuke showed. This was the quickest route home so it made sense that he'd be taking it.

Only he didn't. Itachi waited as minutes passed and the crowd dwindled. Black eyes narrowed. He should be here by now. Was he staying after for some reason? Itachi hadn't factored that in, usually the younger Uchiha came straight home before training within the clan walls, and his marks were at the top of the class so he shouldn't need to talk to the teacher. And he usually kept to himself, not really wanting anything to do with the other kids, what with the Uchiha ingrained deeply in him as well.

So what was holding him up?

There was a tug at his shirt that knocked him from his stupor. He looked down expecting Sasuke – and impressed that the small boy had managed to creep up on him – but instead found himself looking at a pink haired girl in the same range of the youngest in main house of the Uchiha.

"Er…sorry to bother but, you look a lot like Sasuke-kun…" He nearly blinked. _Sasuke-kun_? Was he wrong about his brother's antisocial tendencies? "Are you his brother?"

He nodded, curious as to where this conversation was going. Was she lost? Looking for his brother?

She brightened, seeming relieved that she'd gotten the right person. It surprised Itachi; he'd never seen a countenance do such a thing without even so much as a minuscule change. Shisui had said he was guilty of it quite a lot but had never actually seen what it looked like on someone else's face.

"Right, well he told me to tell you that he noticed you were here, but that he'd already promised Naruto they'd go out for ramen together right after class." She'd closed her eyes as if trying to remember what she'd been told word for word by seeing them in her head. Quite the sharp memory for one so young. But then she opened her eyes, too big green eyes coming back into view.

She was clearly of civilian decent; she didn't seem fit for the role she would playing by choosing to become a shinobi. If she passed the tests, of course. The ninja life would tear such an innocent girl child apart in no time, he was sure. What were her parents thinking by letting her enroll? Did they think she'd find it too hard and give up or realize such a path was not for her?

Still, little rose haired girl aside, he was surprised. Sasuke had seen him and even got someone to give him this message, but had not come himself. Perhaps his little brother was more independent that the older boy had thought. Though, the fact that his choice of company was Uzumaki, Naruto – the village pariah – would not go over with the elders if they ever found out he was even remotely associated with the kyuubi holder, let alone having lunch with him. And this little one before him too, being close enough to a civilian girl would get him a stern talking to by their father.

He'd have to forewarn him when he got home.

"Thank you for telling me." He stated to the girl still waiting for some kind of response.

"Oh, he also said he might be home a bit later than usual." She smiled, happy that she was apparently being helpful. And she certainly was. He'd have to remember to ask Sasuke specifically how he was doing. The boy had always been talented – though rarely recognized – now Itachi knew he showed promise in picking the best friends he could have. As well as people that would need him. Something, the elder Uchiha brother had never been quite able to do.

Again he inclined his head once more, though out of gratitude this time. Before he could turn to leave though, she tugged on the sleeve she still hadn't let go of. "Um, what he didn't say that I think he wanted you to know was that he was really happy to see you and" she paused as if looking for the right emotion, "sad?" she settled on though tilted her head and spoke the word as if it was an answer to a question she wasn't certain of and was checking to see if it was right. "that he didn't have time to say hello."

Again he almost blinked in surprise. She was very astute to be able to read peoples faces so young and so well. Perhaps she would have some promise in her future profession.

"I see, thank you for telling me that as well. Though I don't think you should let Sasuke know you said such things to me."

She blinked, eyebrows furrowing in confusion with a question she didn't ask. But as if a light bulb went off in her head when she found the answer she nodded, face bright with life once more. "I don't think that's a good idea either. Pinky promise you won't tell him?"

Now he did blink, not noticeably, she probably wouldn't have caught it anyway. A pinky promise? He found himself nodding for the third time to this woodland resembling girl, he held out a gloved pinky and she locked hers with his. Shaking on it and laughing, as if it agreeing to a big secret. Her fingers were small and fragile seeming in his roughed bloodstained ones. Worn, black leather against presumably soft, pale skin.

* * *

"Itachi, you are nearly sixteen, do you have a spouse in mind yet?"

His birthday was a month away, but he hadn't thought they would bring up such a subject so soon. Not they though, him. His father. Speaking for the clan elders and himself. He knew right off the bat that his mother didn't know this was being brought up now because if she did she wouldn't be allowing it to take place. It was the only reprieve from the weight of clan expectations that she'd been able to lessen for him. Most clan heirs would have already had an arranged marriage in place by the time they were thirteen or jonin rank, which ever came first. And since he was sixteen, had been an ANBU captain for three years straight and was being given the choice, he was still very thankful to his mother. She was doing more than most gave her credit for. Than she gave herself credit for.

Still he nodded, "I have. Nothing concrete yet, though." It wasn't a lie either, he'd kept an eye on one particular girl for some time now. He'd been careful to make sure none of the clan members were aware of his attachment to her. He was completely sure the clan wouldn't accept her as their clan heir's spouse. She had a lot of potential to be great and certainly had the means to get there between her two best friends and himself. But for now, he'd have to be cautious about how clear he made his intentions towards her in public. Even Sasuke was not yet aware of his choice in a life partner. And she was so innocent she hadn't even thought to think he saw her in such a light.

His father nodded, satisfied. "Alright. You still have time, but remember–"

"She must be suited to the clan." Itachi finished. "She will be." She wouldn't. Not if he could help it. The Uchiha clan would stamp out that fire he was so caught up by. No he'd wait until she'd stabilized, become who she wanted to be, until she was too strong and sturdy to bend to the elders, as would be expected of her. She'd have quite the feisty temper, he could already tell, and she was a fierce protector of those she felt precious to her. She had a big heart and a quick mind, both always in the best interest of those around her. She was perfect by his standards.

All it would take was time. And that – as Fugaku had just made clear – he still quite a bit of.

So he'd wait, watch her grow, help her grow. And eventually he'd tell her his intention to marry her, but it would all be on his terms, at his pace, by his standards. Because she was the one he wanted and no other, no matter what his clan had to say about it.

Until then, he'd overindulge in Haruno, Sakura. Because he could, and all those pinky promises that they'd made over the years would keep him bound to her for eternity. And she to him.


	2. 13 Sacrifice: Selfish

**Title:** Moments in Time: A Close Up

**Author:** AppleL0V3R

**Beta-reader:** Terror-Of-The-Crimson-Night

**Fandom:** Naruto

**Pairing:** Uchiha, Itachi and Haruno, Sakura

**Chapter:** Two – #13 Sacrifice: Selfish

**Rating:** T

**Type:** One-shot – Complete

**Summary:** Prompts from Moments in Time that I was requested to expand on. 2. 13 – Sacrifice: Selfish. They both sacrificed, but not the same way.

**Word Count:** 3,345

**Disclaimer:** If you've heard of it before, then it's obviously not mine.

**Note:** As the summary states these were skits I was asked to turn into actually works. I will always put which one it was and the skit just before the chapter. They won't be in numerical order because I'm doing them as I'm requested. They won't be any more than one-shots though they may become two to five –shots (I will forewarn when that happens) but they won't become stories unless I choose to.

**Request by:** Anime Freak456

* * *

13. Sacrifice (Itachi)

He'd given so much for those he loved. His whole world and then forced himself to suffer though life so that Sasuke could be a hero. He'd known ever since he was young that this was the path he would take. The one of loyalty and honor and sacrifice.

And then she came along. She was a giver as well, but a different sort. While he broke things, she fixed them. She walked the path of loyalty, compassion and humanity. Doing what she could and accepting what she couldn't change.

But she was stubborn as she was loyal. She gave him an alternative, gave him a second chance. She _was_ his second chance.

And she became the one thing he vowed to never give up.

* * *

"Let me go!" Sakura exclaimed. Furious and unwilling to be some _pet_. She was a person damn it, they couldn't keep her here! And she wasn't going to let them either.

Emotionless crimson eyes stared back, unaffected by the woman's volume. He padded forward until he was only a few feet from her. She was chained to the bedpost, but even if she wasn't she was hardly more than a declawed kitten waving her paws about. She was strong, but in her state now – chakra depleted, bruised, exhausted – she was no threat untied or not. This just made sure she was less of a hassle, though it certainly did make her louder.

He shook his head, "You know that won't happen."

"Why not?" She responded immediately, grounding out her words. Again she strained against the leather bindings, they didn't do anything more than burn into her skin, causing it to redden. She paid it no mind, too angry to care at the moment.

Again he shook his head, but this time didn't say anything. They'd been keeping her at HQ for nearly two weeks and had yet to tell why she was there or where she was. Though that was more do to the fact that she'd had yet to do anything more than lash out when any of them were in the vicinity of her.

He'd known she was strong, that she was resilient, but this just showed how much. It was too bad she put those traits to work against them.

"Calm down first and perhaps I will tell you." He finally answered. He would have liked to see how long she could truly hold out for. How long would her back remain ridged, her eyes alert and weary, her words strong and biting?

Konoha was certainly doing much better about they're training to have such strong, loyal shinobi. Just as he was. Or perhaps like him, she was an exception. A prodigy in her own right, since she had no shinobi background at all, it made her achievements stand out that much more. Most of his own kin would have never reached her level.

One of the few who would meet his eyes head on.

Vivid green eyes narrowed and she quieted as if analyzing him. He gave nothing away, gave nothing for her to find. She stayed quiet for a long while as well, but she never looked away, never changed her stance.

Her legs pulled to her chest, as if to guard her, she was in the middle of the bed close enough to lean against the wall but far enough to show that she didn't need a reprieve, not from them. But even with her defiance she still ate the food she was given, she wasn't so foolish as to think she could survive without it, nor was she eager enough to take it without question. Her hands, though restrained, had enough slack to take care of hygiene without assistance. Normally, it was Itachi giving her food and so he always took the first bite to show her it wasn't poisoned. Medic or not without the resources she would die just like anyone else, albeit at slower rate since the affects took longer to kick in for her. He was curious as to how that worked, most medics couldn't do that, but it wasn't important enough to ask and she'd see it as weakness if she answered.

As patient as Itachi was, Madara was getting antsy, and thus the process needed to be sped up so that she could be useful. Naruto was still unaware they had her, it would still be a month an a half before her village would be looking for her. They had picked her up near the beginning of her mission so that it would give them enough time to put their plan in motion.

"Calm down?" Her voice was quiet but strained, almost disbelieving. "You really think I'll believe that if I calm down you'll tell me everything?" she snorted. "I'm not gullible." This line was muttered and for the first time in the presence of another she looked away. Then she shrugged, "Why not, my way's not working." When she met his gaze once more, most of her emotions had been pushed back so that only the barest hints of them could be seen in serene, expecting eyes. However, she didn't relax her body.

He was impressed. For someone who had a history of not following rule number twenty-five of the shinobi conduct, she was obviously adept at masking anything she didn't want to show.

"Is this calm enough?"

He had the urge to push her again. It was curious how she was the only one he wanted to see more from. Push her to the edge and maybe over it, too. He'd never had such urges towards anyone before, not even Sasuke. He'd wanted Sasuke to be the best he could, be the hero, but never truly pushed him.

He padded even closer, now at the edge of the bed, well within her reach. She didn't react, not even slightly shifting as she kept her focus entirely on his eyes. He stared back with more intensity. He nodded. "Can you stay that way?"

She sighed, "For how long? I have nowhere near as much patience as you obviously do."

He paused to think that over. When he decided, he crouched until he was at eye level with her. Green, her eyes were very green, vastly almost. "For as long as you can."

Those eyes narrowed and he could tell she wanted to lose her temper once more, she seemed barely able to keep it in check. "How long is that?"

She was determined, he'd give her that. As stubborn as she was loyal. "However long I want it to be."

Then he was on his feet and out the door as it clicked solidly behind him. Her shriek of frustration followed him down the hall. He almost smirked.

* * *

Once more he was leaning against the door, out of her line of vision thanks to the candle light that didn't quite reach him. He'd taken to liking this spot of his room in entire three weeks that he'd been visiting. Though not on a daily basis, he had been more frequent since a week ago when she'd first been willing to calm down and listen. The day after had been the second worst since to deal with her – the first being the first day she was aware that she'd been kidnapped.

Afterwards however, she'd become more docile. No less alert, but infinitely more pleasant. At first he'd thought that defiance and strength of hers had begun to give way, but then he realized she had merely changed her tactics. Following what he had said. 'For as long as you can' he had told her, and so far she had survived a week.

Resilient. It was the best word to describe her.

"How long are you going to stand there?" Her nose was in a book, a medical one by the look of it. She hadn't even so much as glanced at him.

"How long did it take you to notice me?" He tilted his head slight, coming forward to sit on the bed. She was on the floor with her back against it, left knee pulled up so that the text could rest against it. Her other leg was stretched out and her left arm was resting across her lap, dangling at the wrist while the other was placed palm down flat against the ground as if holding part of her weight. Her hair was pulled back into a high ponytail falling in front of her right shoulder. A candle was placed just centimeters in front of her hand on the ground, a tactful place to see what she was reading. He'd chosen to sit directly to her left, his own knee almost touching her shoulder.

She looked up then, craning her neck to meet his eyes, only for a few seconds, before returning to the material before her. "Long enough."

He nodded, though he knew she couldn't see it.

"When are you going to tell me why I'm here?" She hadn't looked up, but she was clearly no longer interested in the paper before her.

He didn't answer; she'd asked that every time she saw him by now, but he never answered.

She was as curious as a cat, he'd come to realize. Interested by anything that she didn't know or didn't make sense, always hungering for more knowledge. But there was the adage 'curiosity killed the cat' for a reason.

He changed the topic. "Why are you so loyal to Konoha?"

He, himself and been loyal because of his brother. No matter what he'd always stuck around to help Sasuke as best he could, protecting him from the shadows.

She let her head fall back against the bed, leaving her neck wide open. Was it trust or confidence that he wouldn't take advantage of that? "Honestly? I don't know. It always seemed natural, I guess. Perhaps it's not Konoha I'm loyal to, maybe it's the people."

He nearly blinked in surprise, not expecting such a straight forward and open answer. "Oh? So if there is no one there to be loyal to, you'll betray Konoha?"

She laughed, shaking her head. "No. I won't betray Konoha, not for any reason. I may stay, but I won't betray it."

Her laugh was free, melodious. He'd never heard anything like it. His mother's had been polite or small, concealed giggles not really showing anything more than a smile. And most of the women he knew had been the same way, if not then they didn't smile or they giggled constantly. Hers was nice to listen to, light and easy going.

"What's your definition of betrayal then?"

She paused, tapping the floor with her index finger. Something she had a habit of doing when she was thinking carefully about something. "Well, betrayal to me isn't something as simple as treason. I guess betrayal is when you turn away from those who need you, knowing they need you and that you can help, but choose not to. When you purposely hurt someone with ill intentions." She shrugged then returning to her reading to allow him time to ponder her answer.

She'd just flipped the page when he responded, "If so, then most of us have betrayed each other."

She nodded, "That's why I don't believe in the system. Honestly, I think the whole thing should be torn down."

"Why? What about the missions and those you're ordered to help."

She closed the book then and turned in her place. She put the book down, in front of his feet, crossing her legs she looked up at him, meeting his eyes. "We're not helping." Her voice was soft, devoid of emotion but not quite a monotone. "If we were, there wouldn't be a reason to train us so early. Lives wouldn't still be destroyed, both by and for the system. There should be a better way to do things. I know humans can't go long without war, peace isn't everlasting. But there has to be a balance, an almost perfect society."

"Almost perfect." He echoed, most philosophers and preachers, leaders and teachers all wanted perfection in some form or another. Perfect soldiers, perfect peace. Never almost perfect.

Still she nodded, earnestly. "Humans aren't perfect; we're flawed in so many ways. Hell, even our genetic make up is imperfect. So if we aren't perfect, then how can our society be perfect?"

Never had he heard such a concept, all his life he'd been told anything less than perfect was not an option. "But humans want perfection."

"We can't always have what we want. That's the reason for dreams and distant horizons. You'll reach some of them, but because we always want more we'll keep looking, keep going. Always looking at what's not yet ours. And when we look back we think of all the things we've accomplished because at the end, we don't want to think we're failures."

It made sense, there were flaws though, and perhaps that's what she had intended. Not perfect. But wanting to be. "Is that why you're a doctor? To change society."

Her smile was almost rueful and she shook her head. "No, I'm a doctor because I can't stand to see people die. Because I don't want to be weak and helpless."

"You help other's for your own gain."

Her laugh was mirthless. "We're all selfish. I'm no exception."

"Yes, very selfish indeed."

* * *

Another week had passed and she had become part of his daily life. He found they were hardly ever in agreement on anything political. Morally, they had different perspectives though not always opposing ones. He found her very cultured; where most people were blind her eyes were wide open.

And she was still loyal to her home knowing its entire history.

Still as the hours turned to days he found himself enjoying her company. For the first time, he wasn't polite because he was raised to be. For the first time, he could say what he really meant, what he really wanted to. No matter how many times he reminded himself they weren't comrades, that he shouldn't be attached to his captive because it could never end well, he couldn't help feeling like she wasn't the enemy. She was someone he could say anything to and she never held it against him. She didn't hold grudges either and would even do as he told without asking why.

But most of all, she'd begun to open his eyes too. To the world he'd shut out, to things that had become harder and harder to face. Neither made it easy for the other, he forced her to see the ugliness of the world and in turn she forced him to accept his past.

"Do you believe in second chances?" It was her who had started this conversation.

"No." His answer was immediate and calm, more interested in the book before him than the woman staring at the rock ceiling while splaying her whole body out. So many vulnerable spots left wide open. He knew why now, because she was trusting. She believed in the concept of innocent till proven guilty. And even though he had yet to tell her why she was there, she seemed to have no trouble believing that he didn't intend to harm her. If he did, he would have done so. And she wasn't helpless either, if he did try she'd fight him every step of the way.

She blinked, "That was fast." She muttered. "Why not?"

"Because life doesn't give second chances."

She turned over on her side, curling her body slightly and propping her self up on one elbow, cheek in the palm of her hand and the other with her forearm against the bed. He sat on the floor in much the position as she had been when they'd had that first conversation.

"That's not true."

"No?" He continued reading, one ear to her.

"Nope. If you want to be technical, Gaara died but came back to life." At the cost of another's, "And people die inside all the time. That's why chances exist, so we can choose to wipe of the dust or stay down."

"And if you choose wrong, you have to live with it. Time can't be rewound."

"No." She allowed, "It can't. But we all make mistakes."

"Because we are imperfect." Sometimes it was easier to go along with it.

She grinned, "Right. So we can choose to ignore them for one reason or another and try to move on the best we can. Or mend those mistakes and thus a second chance."

He finally looked up, contemplating her answer. Before turning to face her, placing and arm on the bed as he did so. Dull black eyes gazed intently into green ones, "Does everyone deserve a second chance?"

"Yes." Her answer was as immediate as his first one had been.

"Why?"

She pursed her lips, used to this habit of his. Turn her words on her, forcing her to think carefully through her answers. She liked it, it challenged her in ways that being a shinobi – don't think, just do. Your opinion doesn't matter anyway – didn't.

The index finger on the hand against the bed started tapping.

"Because, like I said, we all mess up from time to time. And everyone should be allowed to at least try and fix it. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. But if you don't try you'll never know." She paused as if frustrated. She wasn't explaining it the way she wanted to, he waited patiently. She always found a way to say what she meant, what she thought, how she felt. "I don't know how exactly to explain it, I guess it's more like that forked road. Try again or give up. Trying again is the second chance. And life doesn't discriminate. It's not fair, no, but allows everyone a choice."

"You haven't answered my question."

"Well," she ran a hand through her tussled hair. "hmm." She was quiet once more. "Everyone should be entitled to a second chance because…because if they weren't then why try at all? One chance isn't enough to get it right. And the world would be darker and crueler without the chance to try again."

He nodded. "Are you on your first or second?"

She shook her head, "I don't know, honestly. Only time will tell."

"Am I on my first or second?"

This time she took longer before responding. "I think, in a way you're in between your first and second, waiting for someone to..." She trailed of with a sigh. "Itachi, I don't know how to explain this one."

"There are a lot of lines."

"I'm not worried about those. Lines are lines. Like rules, sometimes they have to be broken. And also like limits, they can be moved or erased entirely. You never know until you cross it."

He didn't hesitate, leaning forward he kissed her, grasping her chin with his hand.

She gasped slightly, the sound swallowed by his lips. She was still for a few long moments as if unsure of what to do. He pulled away before she could. "Waiting for someone to give me another chance? Yes, I was. But I've already taken it."


	3. 14 Sin: Guilty

**Title:** Moments in Time: A Close Up

**Author:** AppleL0V3R

**Beta-reader:** Terror-Of-The-Crimson-Night

**Fandom:** Naruto

**Pairing:** Uchiha, Itachi and Haruno, Sakura

**Chapter:** Three – #14 Sin: Guilty

**Rating:** T

**Type:** One-shot – Complete

**Summary:** Prompts from Moments in Time that I was requested to expand on. 3. 14 – Sin: Guilty. Was falling in love a sin? What about with the enemy?

**Word Count:** 2,120

**Disclaimer:** If you've heard of it before, then it's obviously not mine.

**Note:** As the summary states these were skits I was asked to turn into actually works. I will always put which one it was and the skit just before the chapter. They won't be in numerical order because I'm doing them as I'm requested. They won't be any more than one-shots though they may become two to five –shots (I will forewarn when that happens) but they won't become stories unless I choose to.

**Request by:** Anime Freak456

* * *

14. Sin (Sakura)

Sin was a subjective term to Sakura. There were the religious, moral and ethical sins.

And then there were those against one's homeland that were named as treason.

Usually.

Loving the enemy for example was a sin, but not a crime.

And she was guilty on all accounts.

She shouldn't love him, for all the heinous acts he had committed no matter the reason. But she did. And there was no escaping that.

In her defense, it was all his fault. He was the one who had abducted her and then was all gentleman-like. He made her fall in love with him!

But in the end, she was in his bed watching him sleep. And she had violated the sin of irrevocably loving her enemy.

* * *

All through her childhood, the concept of treason had been drilled into to her. What it was, what it meant and how it came about. It had always seemed absurd that anyone in their right mind would commit it, but people did. Criminals did. And Sakura vowed she'd never be like them. Dad always said this life wasn't easy, but the fact that he was still loyal and free of treason charges meant that it could be done. Everyone still in the village, working for the village, were examples that it could be done. And she'd be one of the best.

And she did. She became one of the best, her name and face in multiple bingo books. Infamous and famous alike, depending on who was telling about her. She stood second only to the Godaime Hokage herself and in some areas even surpassed her.

She'd also stayed dead loyal to her home, never once entertaining the thought of betraying it in even the smallest ways, sure she had friends outside of Konoha but there was nothing wrong with that. And even dated people outside of Konoha once or twice as well. As long as she put her home first, she didn't see the problem.

And then this happened.

This absurd, unlikely situation happened. In all honesty, she wasn't even completely sure how this had happened and she definitely didn't know why it happened to her of all people.

Here she sat, chained with chakra restrictors to Uchiha, Itachi's bed. As in Itachi of Akatsuki. As in the Itachi who had tortured the makeshift family she'd built. As in the Itachi who killed his family, for no valid recorded reason. As in the Itachi she'd come to hate over the years. As in the Itachi that had kidnapped her from her home. Yeah, that Itachi. And she was chained to his bed.

And to make matters worse it was hard to be prickly towards him even with all of that knowledge.

At first it hadn't been hard. Easy really, but he was unfazed by her tempered manner. A feat all it's one sense most couldn't. Not even her own parents or mentors. And as surprising as it was, she really should have seen it coming considering his background. Former heir of the Uchiha clan and all. Still, that wasn't what had made harder to be an ice queen.

Part of it had been that as strong willed and determined – or stubborn as Ino would have called it – as she was, she simply didn't have the kind of nature to be harsh and cold all the time. She'd been raised on peace and love and support. The fact had ticked her off more than a dozen times, but hadn't lessened the reality of it.

The other part had been his demeanor. Calm, collected, and though not social not really antisocial either. He didn't bother with idle chatter, only speaking when what he had to say was important.

Oh, she'd tried to get a reaction; taunting, snide comments, trying to attack him. Nothing had worked. Most of the time he ignored her, or when he got annoyed told her to quit in as few words as possible. It irked her that she knew the minute differences and even the unseen changes in him and could even label his moods. Certainly, it meant she didn't have to be alert almost to the point of paranoia all the time, but it also meant she was getting to know him. Like _know _him, know him.

And that unsettled her more than anything.

Except maybe, the fact that she had to constantly remind herself that he was the _enemy_ and that she _didn't_ like the feeling being so close to him. That she _didn't_ mind as much about being chained to his bed anymore.

He didn't help much either. There were few times when he put his foot down, and he seemed to always know what she wanted when she wanted it. It was like he knew her better than she knew herself sometimes! Though it had started when she forgot she was supposed to be as prickly as a porcupine.

She'd been feeling a little under the weather that day, and she'd been there for so long that she knew every inch of the place she was entitled to be in. It was also the anniversary of her parents' death.

As deadly silent as Itachi was, he almost always made himself known before he came in: sometimes a simple sound or a barely audible noise in the back of his throat. At the time she hadn't thought much of it, merely that it was odd that a capture would do such a thing. But it was Itachi, and he had so many layers to him – each a complicated maze with a mystery at every turn – that she'd stopped trying to psychoanalyze him. Still, she'd used this habit to her advantage, usually finding a wall to lean against or sitting on the floor next to the bed as a way to show defiance in anyway possible.

But this time she had ignored it completely and stayed put on the bed. She was laying on her side, back to the door and body half curled in on itself. She had her right arm circling her abdomen and the other folded under the part of the pillow her head lay on. Her long pink hair was sprawled all around her and she was content to stay in the tank top and knee length baggy shorts she'd slept in the night before.

He didn't say anything; though he purposely made sure his steps were heard. She didn't care, she didn't want to care. At that point all she wanted to do was wallow. Show emotion for once in a very long time. Be human.

He went about his routine as if she weren't there, taking off his shoes and his cloak. She heard the shower for the brief time that he used it and smelt the fresh scent of rainwater that never seemed to fully leave his person when he padded back into the room, silently this time. Still, she stayed the way she was, dull green eyes covered by the thin flesh of her eyelids.

What she didn't expect was when the bed sank slightly with the weight of his body. She was almost centered in the small twin sized bed with only two thin sheets and a pillow, all the same shade of a medium gray in that dark brown underground room. Then the other side of her sank slightly, but it was pretty much in the center of the C shape her body made. Still, she made no move to acknowledge him or even glare at him for being so close.

Her eyes did flash open, however, with indignation when she suddenly found herself flat on her back. He hovered slightly over her, one hand supporting himself on her left side to keep from falling and the other a firm weight on her right shoulder. Keeping her in place. Had it been any of the previous days, she would've snapped and pushed him away, never would have even let him get so close in the first place. But right then, she didn't have any fight in her, so she pulled her knees up until her feet were within inches of her butt and her thighs were only a few hairs away from Itachi's shoulder. His bloody eyes were blank, giving nothing away and she didn't bother to search. She knew better than to close her eyes, so she stared unseeingly back into his gaze with her mind far away on only memories.

He stayed silent still, merely watching her with a heavy gaze and completely motionless body.

She didn't know how long they stayed like that and right then she honestly didn't care. She'd furious in the morning, more prickly then ever, but not then. Right then, she found herself appreciating his quietness even if it did speak volumes. She was glad he didn't use this opening to break her, glad he didn't push her to say anything at all.

And strangely, felt lost and disappointed when he moved leaving her side all together.

Just a simple lapse in judgment, but it started a cascade effect. At first few and far between, steadily growing more reoccurring, she allowed the cold fronts to fade. Sometimes it would be little things, word choice or small gestures. Sometimes it would be big things, conversations or silent companionship.

After that first event she'd find a new book or a puzzle to keep her mind busy every now and again. Slowly they grew as frequent as the times she allowed herself to be human around him. And though she'd thought that the pattern, she'd found it disproved quickly enough. At first she'd been suspicious of his intentions before eventually just accepting it as another one of Itachi's quirks. He had a lot of them, she'd learned.

Nothing like the cruel monster her home and even his brother had made him out to be.

Before she knew it, she found herself sleeping beside him, at complete ease in his presence. Sure, she still argued with him and she was still well aware of how dangerous he was. But he'd never raised so much as a hand to her and though intimidating sometimes – most of the time unintentional his part, she'd found – he rarely gave her any reason to feel threatened.

He wasn't completely open with her though, there were things she knew he'd never say and she found herself okay with that, picking up on his habit of knowing when not to push and when not to touch something entirely. He showed her the same respect. But she knew she'd gained a large portion of his trust – and was certain that he, too, was aware of that on some level, letting it happen – because once always crimson eyes turned to black every time he was around her. She liked the color, not like Sasuke's dark gray, but more like a faded black with hints of breathtaking cobalt blue slivers mixed in everywhere.

She'd always blame him though. Always say it was his fault she'd fallen in love with him. And it was his fault she was guilty of falling in love with someone with a crime record like his.

But then again, he blamed her too, she knew. He'd never admit it though, he wasn't that kind of person to put blame on someone else. But he'd blame her for humanizing him, forcing emotions to surface and facing that they existed beyond the back of his mind.

In a way it was both their faults. They'd made each other into things they'd been bred to never be. Her so fiercely loyal, but in love with one of the most wanted criminals of their time. And him the perfect soldier, but capable of showing emotion.


	4. 16 Lies: Tell Me the Truth

**Title:** Moments in Time: A Close Up

**Author:** AppleL0V3R

**Beta-reader:** Terror-Of-The-Crimson-Night

**Fandom:** Naruto

**Pairing:** Uchiha, Itachi and Haruno, Sakura

**Chapter:** Four – #16 Lies: Tell Me the Truth

**Rating:** T

**Type:** One-shot – Complete

**Summary:** Prompts from Moments in Time that I was requested to expand on. 4. 16 – Lies: Tell Me the Truth. Lying was part of the job description. Love wasn't.

**Word Count:** 3,815

**Disclaimer:** If you've heard of it before, then it's obviously not mine.

**Note:** As the summary states these were skits I was asked to turn into actually works. I will always put which one it was and the skit just before the chapter. They won't be in numerical order because I'm doing them as I'm requested. They won't be any more than one-shots though they may become two to five –shots (I will forewarn when that happens) but they won't become stories unless I choose to.

**Request by:** Anime Freak456

* * *

16. Lies (Sakura)

"You're lying."

Why'd he have to make this so damn hard? "No, I'm not." She wished it were true.

Sable eyes that were almost blue stared at her intently. She never had been able to lie, not really. But never could she lie to him, not because she didn't want to but because he'd always call her on it. He'd let so many slide, not once demanding the truth. This one though, he wouldn't. He held on tenaciously.

She knew she shouldn't want him to, but seeing his eyes so dark and intense, it'd be long before she broke. He was the master of breaking people; it made sense that someone like her wouldn't be an exception. She had been, but…

"I don't love you."

* * *

"What did you learn at school to day, Angel?"

A six year-old pinkette tilted her head, "Mama, I thought lying was wrong."

She blinked down at her daughter. "Well, yes, honey it is."

"But the teacher said we have to."

Already? The young mother thought to herself with dismay. They were already teaching them to lie. Sighing, she bent down until she was at eye level with her precious only child. "There is a difference between 'have to' and 'right'." When all she got was a confused face she tried for a different angle, "You want to be a shinobi right?"

She nodded earnestly.

"Well, part of that is that you won't always do good things. Lying, for instance. That doesn't make them right, but they are necessary so that you can do what you're told. Understand?"

She watched as her daughter thought about it, could almost see the gears turning in the intelligent girls mind. Before finally: "So it's bad, but sometimes can't be helped."

Sometimes, having an above average smart daughter was a good thing. With a smile she nodded. "That's right. And you shouldn't do it unless you have no other choice alright."

"What if, I'm told to?"

Again the mother sighed, "Well, honey, then it can't be helped. But promise you'll always know when its wrong and you'll lie as little as possible."

"Find a balance?"

"Yes. Find a balance."

The young girl nodded happily now that her confusion had been cleared up.

* * *

When she first met him, truly met him – not just seeing him fight her teammates, but getting closer to fight him herself – nothing went the way she thought it would. And perhaps it would have gone differently had it just been her who ran into him, but that wasn't the case. No, she'd run into him with her team.

It had been accidental, the five of them been returning home from a particularly long and tiring mission when they happened upon him. Just him. His partner or any of the other Akatsuki members hadn't been in the vicinity as near as they could tell.

At first he hadn't seemed all too interested in a fight, and that had been more than fine with her. They weren't at their best and as the previous battle they'd had with him had shown, even a person made to look and seem like him could still hold his own pretty damn well against them. And they had been ready for him then. The only reason he'd lost was because he'd never intended to win. The suna nin had been nothing more than a decoy.

So while taking the defense, they decided to let him pass unanimously. She'd assumed he'd caught that intention and so had begun to move away without truly turning his back to them. Then at the last second, he'd grabbed her. Her world went black then, as she realized he had knocked her out and was kidnapping her.

The last thought she'd had before unconsciousness claimed her had been a stark, 'arrogant bastard.'

* * *

When she'd woken she'd found herself in cottage, small and devoid of anything except the necessities, but it was homey all the same. He'd been waiting against the wall across the room. Before she could help it she found herself irritated with the fact that he'd managed to get her away from her team. It was nearly impossible not yell at him for it, too. But she was experienced enough to know that he was dangerous and anything she did would only put her further in harms way.

"You're awake." He acknowledged, his intense gaze set on her. She refused to meet his eyes, she knew better than that.

She nodded once curtly. Too furious to do anything more and trust herself to stay in control. Which meant talking was out of the question for the time being.

"You're also irritated." She snorted inwardly, biting her tongue in an effort to swallow the sarcastic remark that had jumped to her lips. "But you would not have come if given the choice, would you have?"

She shook her head, still refusing to even so much as turn in his direction. At least her bangs provided a sort of shielding in that he couldn't see her whole face. She didn't know how long she could stay carefully blank especially when she was so angry.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw him nod once. "I thought not. I require your assistance."

Her mouth was open and moving before she could help herself, "And what makes me so special?" Her tone was clipped and biting.

"You are the best healer in all five nations."

Again her voice was working before she could stop it. A mirthless bark of laughter had ripped from her throat, "Oh? And you really think, kidnapped or not, I'm going to help you?" She had to suppress her urge to ask what was wrong, whether she intended to help or not. And she definitely did not want to do that.

"That is your choice. I merely chose not to pass up the chance as it was presented to me."

It made sense to her; if the situations were reversed she was pretty sure she would have done the same. She sighed and finally glanced at him. "What's wrong?" She hated how softhearted she could be sometimes; it was a hindering trait for a shinobi. Yet no matter how many times she tried she'd never been able to kick that particular part of herself.

"Do you intend to help?"

She paused, did she? Would she? There were very few conditions outside her realm of abilities, so that wouldn't be a problem. "Depends on what it is." If it was small she knew he wouldn't have bothered to go through the trouble to take her. No matter how renowned he was, if there was a problem that didn't require intensive care or stay he could go to a hospital just about anywhere except the major villages.

He pushed off the wall then, padding closer with practiced ease. He didn't stop until he was right beside her seated position on the bed. "My vision is gone."

She blinked, she should have expected that. After all, she'd studied what the sharingan did to the user after extended periods of time. Kakashi had even agreed to be her lab rat of sorts on occasion. She could fix it, she knew, and she was also well aware that both practice and expertise were required when dealing with such situations. Healing the eyes was hard enough, chakra ones were worse by tenfold.

She could feel herself slipping into her medical persona already, the irritation being replaced by it. Quickly she halted it before it did damage. She'd learned that her capacity for anger was one of the few things that kept her on track and acted as a good shield for when her heart was wavering. Or her mind as she considered helping him.

Him. A criminal that had caused so many problems for nearly all the shinobi villages as well as personal grief for her. What the hell was she thinking?

"Okay. Is there anything else?"

This time the silence sat differently and she knew immediately that there was. But since he didn't seem inclined to say anything of it she wasn't going to press.

So she stayed silent for a moment, deliberating. Would giving him his sight back change anything? Clearly, he'd been getting around without even the higher ranking shinobi of any village even so much as making note of it. Now that she thought about it though, he'd been steadily keeping out of affairs with most of the villages, no real sightings of him within the last few months either.

She scooted over and turned to face him, beckoning him to sit down. Slowly, he did so but stayed at the very edge, which was more than she'd expected. "How long have you been blind?"

"More than three years."

Which just solidified her thoughts, giving him his vision back wouldn't change anything. But at the same time three years was a whole hell of a lot of damage especially since he still had the sharingan activated. She shifted slightly readying herself to stay still for quite a while. "I'll check the damage; make sure I _can_ heal your eyes first."

"You intend to." There was a slight questioning in the statement.

She nodded, "It's not going to make a difference to me anyway." She snorted softly, "Three years and no one even speculated."

The slightest hints of surprise crossed his countenance. "Not even speculation?"

The rosette shrugged. "Well, we have no idea where Sasuke is and there was no way to be sure if the deterioration in Kakashi's eye was normal or because it was transplanted."

"And you were able to fix it?"

Again she nodded, pink hair moving slightly, "Yes, but he wasn't blind when I did. Now come closer."

He conceded, inching forward and pulling one leg up to help support his weight. He also turned slightly before settling into his position. She rolled her eyes; closer didn't mean all of three inches. But it was understandable; with how agreeable she was being he was taking a large risk by letting her so close. There was no way for him to know for sure if she intended to help and only help. So she moved forward, still having to lean over when she brought both hands up and slowly placed two fingers to each temple.

Being so close forced her to be at his eye level, to look at his eyes. They were bloody with little black tomoe, "Would you deactivate your sharingan, please?"

There was a brief pause and for a moment she thought he wouldn't. But then the tomoe grew, engulfing his eye color until it was a dull black-like sable and since she was so close she could see the slivers of a pretty blue in them. Breathtaking eyes, really and she had to force herself to pay attention. Medic mode fully kicking in she told him what she intended to do, "I'm going to check the damage, see if there is anything I can do."

And then she pushed small strands of her chakra through the points where their skin touched and to his eyes. She was right; his eyes had diminished so greatly that it wasn't just his retinas anymore. The small veins connected to his eyeball were thinner than they should have been as if all the chakra had shaved away parts of them or even compressed them to make room.

She pulled her energy back out the way she'd pushed it through, even more carefully than she had inserted it. Then she withdrew her hands and leaned back. "There is a lot of damage, more than I had originally anticipated."

He waited quietly, as if prepared for the worst. That she couldn't. And honestly, she could still say that but that would be lying because she had the feeling that though it would take a while and a lot of spread out long sessions, she could do it. Besides, he'd probably see right through her lie anyway. She clasped her hands in her lap, "Your over usage of your kekkie genkai has caused even your veins to suffer. It will take a while _if_ it's salvageable, probably a week or so. I hope you really don't mind my company because were going to be around each other a lot if I'm going to try to fix your eyes."

Black eyes stared at her and she felt like he was seeing right through her to her very soul. And perhaps since he was blind he could. Finally he nodded. "If that is what it is required."

* * *

So over the next week they spent at least six to seven hours at that same close range. It had gotten to the point where he didn't mind laying with his head in her lap, eyes closed and sleeping as she worked. Sometimes they spoke; sometimes it was just her babbling about a story that had resulted from a question he'd asked.

Somewhere along the way it had occurred to her that not only did she have a good portion of his trust, but she also held leverage over him. Surprisingly though, she didn't have the urge to use that to her advantage. She could exploit him, she should. But she didn't want to. And though she'd tried to analyze this fact all it did was make her more confused.

After this whole thing was over, she would have nothing to do with him, she decided. It was the best way to go before she got herself into deeper trouble than this decision of hers already was.

It was hard not to get attached, he'd proved to be hard to hate for her. If he'd never committed the crimes he did, perhaps they would have gotten along pretty well. But there was no relation that could exist between them; just her helping him and that was all.

Still, with all the time they'd been spending together it was hard not to bond with him. She knew so much about him now, had even bothered to ask about the night of the massacre. She knew the truth, it didn't change facts or justify anything but she'd wanted to know his perspective of it. Talking with him felt like speaking with a very close long time friend. Easy, natural. But it felt like more than that, and that scared her.

It was only one week anyway, if there was anything there then she was deluding herself into thinking so. True or not, it was the best thing for her heart. Only way to safeguard it.

* * *

The end of the healing period had come faster than she'd wanted it to, having finished in eight days.

She stretched after pulling away. "Mmkay, done. No more damage left."

Black eyes appeared behind closed eyelids. He'd been steadily getting his vision back as she worked and every time it felt like a treat – more than any favor could ever satisfy – to watch each time as he looked around with improved vision.

This time though, she didn't get to see him look around in wonder and appreciation. Didn't get to watch quietly, aware that he knew she was doing so but not really caring. This time when he sat up, he kept his gaze solely on her and not for the first time she thought about how she was probably one of the few to see the true color of his eyes so much recently. In fact she'd been so enraptured by his gaze, just like always, that she hadn't had time to react when he leaned forward and kissed her.

She froze on the spot. It was little more than feather light and his lips were soft and gentle as they pressed against hers. She couldn't help but love the feel of it, couldn't help want to reciprocate it. She wondered if she was the only one to ever be so close to this usually distant and cold person. He had so many barriers that she was surprised he'd let them drop as much as they had around her.

He was sticking his neck out by doing this, she knew. Because Itachi wasn't the type of person to do anything without a good reason. And since he was kissing her it was only logical that it meant he felt something for her.

Part of her wanted to stay like that, so close to him. It felt so…right. But it was wrong and she knew it. Not because it showed any form of disloyalty but because it couldn't go anywhere. This kind of relationship would be doomed from the start and would only break her heart in the end. It taken so long to heal after Sasuke and she didn't want to go through the process again. She couldn't.

So she pulled away, turning her head to the side. "Don't. This won't go anywhere."

She felt his gaze and wasn't really sure how long they stayed like that. His hand splayed on her bare thigh and supporting most of his weight, his other hand had nested itself against her hip when he'd leaned forward. He hadn't moved so much as an inch and so she could feel his hot breath on her cheek, causing her hair to sway slightly with each breath. She tried to tell herself that it didn't matter how much she liked this position.

The idea that there could be something for them.

She shivered slightly as he lifted hand up from her hip, sliding it against her side and causing her shirt to come up the higher it went. Eventually, slightly warm fingers found the bareness of her neck and her shirt slid back down some of the way. She couldn't bring herself to pull it down the rest of the way nor push his hand away or even move all together. He paused only briefly, gaze still burning a whole in the side of her head as he watched her intently. Then his fingers were grazing their way up the column of her neck before grasping her jaw. It was light but firm, just like everything about him. Subtle but very much there. She admired that about him; most with his history wouldn't be able to say the same.

Over the week she'd steadily found out just how human he was and right now, he seemed at his most humane. He was leaving himself open for rejection. And she'd already made it cleart that that was her goal, yet he wasn't backing down.

He tugged on her chin, forcing her to face him head on once more. "It can if you want it to."

And as she looked into his eyes, so intent and believable, she couldn't help but think that maybe, just maybe he was right. That it would take a little more effort than most relationships, but they could.

But they couldn't, not with her so loyal and how demanding her home was of her. Not with him being one of the most wanted criminals. It wouldn't work, just fall apart and hurt them both in the end.

So swallowing she tried to meet his gaze. "No, I mean this won't go anywhere because I don't love you, Itachi." It hurt to say that, to lie so blatantly when she didn't want to. And if hurt to say, how much did it hurt to hear?

"You're lying."

Why'd he have to make this so damn hard? "No, I'm not." She wished it were true.

Sable eyes that were almost blue stared at her intently. She never had been able to lie, not really. But never could she lie to him, not because she didn't want to but because he'd always call her on it. He'd let so many slide, not once demanding the truth. This one though, he wouldn't. He held on tenaciously.

She knew she shouldn't want him to, but seeing his eyes so dark and intense, it wouldn't be long before she broke. He was the master of breaking people; it made sense that someone like her wouldn't be an exception. She had been, but…

"I don't love you." It had taken a lot to say it again, but maybe if she said it enough he'd get the point. He'd let it go, let this chance slip away.

But he wasn't that type of person, she knew that. When Itachi wanted something, he didn't let it slip away so easily. As he'd shown by kidnapping her.

"You don't _want_ to love me."

"What's the difference?"

"The difference is that you were lying. You do love me."

She growled with frustration. "Itachi, whether that's true or not, no matter what you say this can't go anywhere."

"It can. And it will. But first you have to stop lying."

It was so hard to contradict him when all she wanted was for him to be right.

"You chose to give me my eyesight back; you chose to be so open with me. You can choose to stay. Everything requires some level of sacrifice. Or are you that unwilling to give anything?"

She bit her lip, hating how much sense he was making. "No. I just, I don't think I can stand to have my heart broken again."

Again he was kissing her, but this time he pulled back before she could react. "The only thing putting your heart in danger is your own cautiousness. You trust me, don't you?"

She'd never really thought about it and was surprised to find herself nodding, "Then try. After all you didn't know you could fix my vision, but you did."

"Perhaps this can work, too." She concluded. Sighing she nodded once more, conceding that he was right.

She didn't know until she tried.


	5. 17 Family: Peace

**Title:** Moments in Time: A Close Up

**Author:** AppleL0V3R

**Beta-reader:** Terror-Of-The-Crimson-Night

**Fandom:** Naruto

**Pairing:** Uchiha, Itachi and Haruno, Sakura

**Chapter:** Five – #17 Family: Peace

**Rating:** T

**Type:** One-shot – Complete

**Summary:** Prompts from Moments in Time that I was requested to expand on. 5. 17 – Family: Peace. Nothing lasted forever. Not war, not life. But peace and love always came back.

**Word Count:** 1,505

**Disclaimer:** If you've heard of it before, then it's obviously not mine.

**Note:** As the summary states these were skits I was asked to turn into actually works. I will always put which one it was and the skit just before the chapter. They won't be in numerical order because I'm doing them as I'm requested. They won't be any more than one-shots though they may become two to five –shots (I will forewarn when that happens) but they won't become stories unless I choose to.

Also for those of you who don't know: Hiewa means peace and according to wiki it is Itachi's favorite word.

There is a sequel to this one it is chapter 10: 21 Pride: Points

**Request by:** Anime Freak456

* * *

17. Family (Itachi)

Blue-black eyes stared into bottle green. When she'd broken the news to him, he hadn't known how to react. But now, with two big eyes – as big as his mother's – staring right back already lit with fire and warmth, he knew. It made him proud. It made him happy.

It was just the two of them and this forbidden child in a dangerous place. This child's life would be hard, perhaps harder than Itachi's. But he would have the family that Itachi himself had not. Things would be different with this child. His child. Their child.

"He looks just like you." His unofficial wife murmured softly from him side. She should be resting. "What will his name be?"

He meet her gaze evenly, "Hiewa."

Another scream filled the room and scattered down the hall.

* * *

Itachi kept his eyes closed and fists clenched, forcing himself to stay relaxed as he leaned against the wall directly in front of the door. After all they'd been through it was hard to hear her scream for any reason. It made him what to get rid of the source of her pain, to save her from it. But it was natural, she'd told him a few weeks prior. The birthing process was painful and screaming was almost inevitable no matter who it was. He hadn't liked that fact, but it wasn't the first time she'd been in a lot of pain and he knew it wouldn't be the last. Still, he wanted to be next to her, holding her hand and helping her through it. But she had insisted that she'd only break his hand and his eardrums. And perhaps even make it worse because then he'd be right next to her not be able to get rid of the pain.

So he'd promised to wait outside the room until the process was over. No matter how long it took. She'd also informed him that it could take anywhere from a few hours to well over a day until she gave birth. And he knew instinctively that was another reason she'd asked him to stay outside, if he didn't and it took a long time then he'd stay beside her through every second which would ultimately put his health second. She hated it when he did that.

Not that staying outside was any easier.

But he'd promised. And so he'd wait and be patient. How odd, patience had always come so easily to him, a never ending calm that he'd been able to hold on to. And yet here it was eluding his grasp every time he reached for it. It was truly infuriating.

How long had he been there anyway? How many times had she screamed? It seemed like an eternity and too many. Well, one was too many.

But right now it was quiet and he couldn't decide if that was worse. The way it seemed to penetrate his head like sharp pins, he didn't like it but the screams were worse.

How much longer would this take? Surely, not a day like Sakura had said was possible. Even any more than a few hours would drive him insane. At least there wasn't a ticking clock to torture him. Nor was there anyone else waiting. Just him.

It made sense, though. She may be giving birth to his child, but he was no longer part of Konoha and she still was. And she'd chosen to keep her pregnancy a secret from her home, chosen him over them. When they'd first started getting close he'd wondered how far she was welling to go, how many times would she pick him instead of someone else. But she'd continually picked him and he knew that if he asked her to pick between Konoha and him once more, she would pick him again. At the same time he knew that he shouldn't, not because it was morally the right thing to do. But because of the affect it would have on her. Konoha was her home after all, where she'd grown up, where all of her friends and family still were. As much as he wanted to, he wouldn't deprive her of that. He'd let her make her own decisions. But that didn't mean that he'd tell her she didn't have to pick him. Experience had taught him that doing so would only lead to misunderstanding as it had the first time.

Still, he did want to know what she was going to do with this child because he certainly did not. It wasn't part of his original plan, but then again she hadn't been either. Yet for all the time he'd known about her being pregnant he hadn't figured out what to plan for. After all, he had merely worked her into his life because it was already happening and he'd wanted her there even if she didn't at first. Now that the child was being born he supposed life would take whichever course it did.

He pondered the outcomes of what would happen with the child and therefore what would happen with him and the wife he wasn't bound to by law. That was another thing: it had been Sakura's wish so they had gotten married with a small ceremony consisting of vows and a preacher to wed them but nothing more. She even kept her maiden name. Not that he could fault her; it would be problematic if she suddenly switched to his surname.

Before he could really get into full detail of each option, he saw the door open. He immediately straightened and waited for the nurse to tell him what she'd come out for. There was a smile on her face as she nodded to him, "The process is over; if you wish you can go see her and your newborn."

He nodded, quick long strides allowing him to cross the distance and into the room in just a few seconds.

He stopped next to her. She had a tired smile on her face as she looked down at a bundle of light blue blankets. A son. She looked up at him, her smile widening and becoming brighter. "Do you want to hold him, Itachi?"

Normally blank eyes stared at her for a long moment before nodding. When she held the infant out he grasped the bundle, so small and delicate. Sure he'd held Sasuke when the younger Uchiha was still a baby but not a newborn that wasn't even five minutes old. And while he'd felt a strong connection when he held Sasuke, when he held this small boy – his son – he felt warmth spread as he looked down at the little child.

Bottle green eyes stared right back already lit with fire and warmth.

It made him proud, he realized and it made him happy. This was his child already so full of life; he'd do anything to protect it. This child's life would be hard, perhaps harder than Itachi's. But he would have the family that Itachi himself had not. Things would be different with this child. His child. Their child.

And suddenly, he wanted to keep him. Always. He didn't want to let life take it's course, he wanted to raise him, wanted to be the infant's father – a good supportive one, like his father had never been – and always stand beside the boy's mother. He wanted this family to be his and he wasn't going to give it up without a fight. Not now, not ever.

"He looks just like you." His unofficial wife murmured softly from him side, he could hear the pride and satisfaction and _warmth_ in her voice as it mingled with the exhaustion. She should be resting but he didn't want to argue that with her right now, besides he was sure she would doze off soon enough. "What will his name be?"

Itachi didn't pause, just met her gaze evenly, "Hiewa."


	6. 19 Relief: Never Say No

**Title:** Moments in Time: A Close Up

**Author:** AppleL0V3R

**Beta-reader:** Terror-Of-The-Crimson-Night

**Fandom:** Naruto

**Pairing:** Uchiha, Itachi and Haruno, Sakura

**Chapter:** Six – #19 Relief: Never Say No

**Rating:** T

**Type:** One-shot – Complete

**Summary:** Prompts from Moments in Time that I was requested to expand on. 6. 19 – Relief: Never Say No. He should have known the answer even before he asked.

**Word Count:** 1,745

**Disclaimer:** If you've heard of it before, then it's obviously not mine.

**Note:** As the summary states these were skits I was asked to turn into actually works. I will always put which one it was and the skit just before the chapter. They won't be in numerical order because I'm doing them as I'm requested. They won't be any more than one-shots though they may become two to five –shots (I will forewarn when that happens) but they won't become stories unless I choose to.

My apologies for Itachi's complete and utter OOCness in this one, I hope it doesn't make you like it any less.

**Request by:** Anime Freak456

..:Xx0o0xX:..

19. Relief (Itachi)

How many times had he been told no? Not a lot, but always when it counted. It was enough to make him the slightest insecure.

And it was peaking now.

Here he was, kneeling on one knee to the only person he'd ever willing allow so much control.

And he was about to change both they're lives.

Her eyes were wide as she stared down at him, hands over her mouth and ridged. Ridged and Sakura were not things that went together well. But he wasn't going to back down form this. "Will you, Haruno, Sakura, marry me?"

He should have learned by then – especially when she didn't hesitate to tackle him to the ground shouting yes with so many kisses – that she'd never say no to him when it counted.

..:Xx0o0xX:..

Itachi was used to his family's orders. He was allowed to anything he wanted as long as they approved and they didn't approve of much. They edited what he did, who he worked with, what he ate; they'd even tried to control how he thought. That last one hadn't worked out so well but still he found them denying things he wanted, blocking options he'd opened for himself. They'd been doing so ever since he was a young child, toddler even, and so he'd grown used to it.

It was easy enough and as long as they thought he was doing as he was told loopholes became even easier to find.

Which was probably how he'd ended up dating her. Haruno, Sakura was everything the clan didn't want a wife of the clan heir to have. And she was everything he needed in a significant other. She was spunky and smart, brave and easy going, kind and firm. She was a mix of a lot of things but she wasn't cruel or cold hearted or submissive nor would she ever be and that's what counted the most. All the things that made her, her, was exactly what he wanted and needed, even if he hadn't known that when he first met her and started getting to know her. It felt like he'd known her, her whole life. He'd seen her around on occasion with her mother when she was a toddler; she'd been a good friend of Sasuke's since childhood. The three members of team 7 spent so much time at the Uchiha resident that they even had their own room to use when they were over.

He truly had known her for a very long time. And when they'd started getting closer he'd never even considered her romantically. But as time passed he eventually asked her to be his girlfriend, of course she said yes. By then he was beginning to realize there were very few occasions when she denied him. And from there the number just decreased. Every now and again she would decline but it was typically because she had to work or something of that nature, not because she wanted to be unnecessarily mean. That simply wasn't in her character.

Being beside her, with her, it was so natural, so easy, nothing like dealing with the clan members. Who had thrown a fit upon learning of his courtship with the Hokage's apprentice, but they hadn't gotten their way. He'd provided numerous reason as to why he shouldn't break up with her, but ultimately it went back to how they couldn't control the way he thought and therefore could not control him.

And they'd stopped trying to, they stopped trying to edit what he did, who he worked with, what he ate. Certainly, they reminded him of their disagreement with his choice in partners every chance and became even more fowl tempered when he'd informed them he planned to marry Sakura as well.

And even though he'd been so sure of himself, so sure she'd say yes, when he was finally before her it wasn't so easy. He felt an unfamiliar feeling of nervousness and insecurity creep up and almost threaten to consume him.

What if she said no? She rarely did, but it had been a long time since she'd declined one of his offer's so she was do for it soon.

The little box was tightly clutched in his hand that was fisted in his pocket, the two of them taking a stroll. What if she didn't like the ring? He knew she wasn't vain so that would be a problem, but weren't weddings important to girls? She hadn't ever really brought it up, though she'd responded easily when he had. But after that there had been something slightly off about her demeanor when he was around. Did that mean she knew he might ask and didn't feel the same but was trying to cover it up?

They'd been dating for months now, nearly year really so it seemed logical. She would have said something by now if she didn't want to get married, surely. But every time he got rid of one doubt, it seemed ten more took its place. Never had he thought he'd be someone who got nervous before proposing. But when he thought about it, it was going to change both of there lives and though he knew it was for the better he couldn't seem to hold the 'what if's at bay.

He stopped walking, pausing next to a park bench. She'd been humming happily to herself, slightly swinging their joined hands and his sudden stop had slightly thrown off her balance. But as a shinobi she quickly found it and turned to him with a questioning look in her large green eyes before tilting her head in that trademark way of hers as a show of a silent question. When he didn't respond immediately, when he didn't do anything except gaze at her, she turned completely to him and took a small step forward. "Itachi?"

Still he did nothing, finding himself frozen and the courage to follow through nowhere near where it needed to be to move.

After a moment she took another step forward, concern now filling her eyes as she reached up with her free hand to touch his cheek. "Itachi, is something wrong?"

Something inside him clicked, as if what was needed had finally fallen into place. He slowly shook his head and with it cleared all of her concern but left a little doubt that he could see. Ignoring that as best he could he got down on one knee. Her eyes widened in shock, clearly knowing exactly where this was going and for a moment she didn't seem to breathe at all. She stared down at him, free hand over her mouth with the other still in his grasp and ridged. Ridged and Sakura were not things that went together well.

But he wasn't going to back down form this. Not now.

Taking a deep breath he reminded himself that this was what he wanted, he wanted her to be completely his until he died. He'd never wanted anything more. But still the insecurity wouldn't fade because he couldn't help thinking about what he'd wanted most had always been denied.

Finally he took the little dark blue box out of his pocket and opened it, showing it to her while still holding onto the hand the ring would be put on.

"Will you, Haruno, Sakura, marry me?"

The world seemed to slow down then, everything moving like there was an eternity in each second. Her hand dropped from her mouth and tear slipped down her cheek. But before he could do anything, attempt to do anything, time returned to its normal speed. She moved forward quickly, arms snaking around his neck as she all but tackled him. "Yes!"

The surprise along with the momentum she'd pounced with caused him lose his balance and they fell backwards. He'd gone from his knee to his ass so fast that he'd barely gotten his arm under him in time to catch them both and save his head from a painful thud on the ground. Both feet were firmly on the ground, with his knees bent. She was on hers and in between his legs, arms still around his neck as his arm – the one that was connected to the hand that had the ring fisted in the appendage – was wrapped securely around her waist.

She proceeded to kiss him and again and again and again. It warmed his heart at her show of affection and the pure excitement that rolled off her in waves.

Then it sunk in.

She'd said yes. Shouted it even. And for a moment he wondered why he'd ever thought she'd say no. She never said no when it mattered.

When she finally pulled back another tear had slipped down the other cheek, running quickly down the side of her face and dripping of her chin. He squeezed her tightly to him for a moment and she tightened her arms around his neck.

"I love you, Itachi."

He pulled back and sat a little straighter, using his legs for balance. He wiped of the gravel on his pants as she fell back on her hunches without letting go. Reaching up, he used his thumb to wipe away the first tear that hadn't finished its trek like the other had.

"And I don't want to spend my life with anyone else."


	7. 20 Writer's Choice: Catlike

**Title:** Moments in Time: A Close Up

**Author:** AppleL0V3R

**Beta-reader:** Terror-Of-The-Crimson-Night

**Fandom:** Naruto

**Pairing:** Uchiha, Itachi and Haruno, Sakura

**Chapter:** Seven – #20 Writer's Choice: Catlike

**Rating:** T

**Type:** One-shot – Complete

**Summary:** Prompts from Moments in Time that I was requested to expand on. 7. 20 – Writer's Choice: Catlike. It wasn't her fault he was like a cat.

**Word Count:** 2,070

**Disclaimer:** If you've heard of it before, then it's obviously not mine.

**Note:** As the summary states these were skits I was asked to turn into actually works. I will always put which one it was and the skit just before the chapter. They won't be in numerical order because I'm doing them as I'm requested. They won't be any more than one-shots though they may become two to five –shots (I will forewarn when that happens) but they won't become stories unless I choose to.

**Request by:** Anime Freak456

..:Xx0o0xX:..

20. Writer's Choice (Sakura)

She couldn't help it, Sakura chuckled at the look on her boyfriend's face. "You replaced me…with a cat."

She shook her head, pink locks flying every where. "No, I just get lonely when you're gone for months at a time. So this was my solution. Besides, he's cute and reminds me of you."

He met her twinkling eyes warily, "Of me?" When she nodded earnestly, he began to look curious, sitting down next to her on the loveseat. As soon as he was situated the pure black fur ball jumped into his lap and seemed content to stay there. "How so?" He placed a gloved hand on the cat's head causing it to purr.

"Well…you've always seemed…catlike…to me. Tiger-ish, really." She answered and kissed him.

..:Xx0o0xX:..

He leaned down while she pushed up, their lips meeting. After a few moments they both pulled back no more than a few centimeters, their breath mingling with each breath.

Sakura smiles, "Be safe."

Itachi nods, but he doesn't make any promises. She knows he is strong, but he's also protective of his team. And that never bodes well for his physical health, so she's made a habit of telling him to be safe or be careful, not that he ever is. But the fact that he nods tells her that he will at least try and that's more than she can ask for.

"I'll miss you."

This time he kisses her again and she's quick to return it. Sentimental words aren't quite his forte but the actions are more than enough. She hates that he'll be gone for three months but she's used to that by now. She's used to him being gone for more than a week because it comes with the territory and she does it too. His kisses speak louder than words, and she knows he'll feel the ache of not being with her just as much.

Finally he pulls away, squeezing his arms around her tight one final time and she gives him another smile before he vanishes into thin air.

Sighing, she clasps her hands behind her and turns to head into the center of the village, deciding to head for the marketplace. She needed to buy a few things and there was no sense in dwelling on her boyfriend or the fact that she already missed him. He'd be home as soon as he could and that was all she could ask for.

..:Xx0o0xX:..

Sakura hummed to herself as she browsed, weaving through the people as Konoha woke up, starting in on another busy day. She already had a bag of groceries hanging off her wrists.

She liked window shopping; it was probably the result of being dragged shopping one too many times with Ino. Though, she wasn't the fondest of clothes shopping like her blonde friend. She actually preferred diversity, looking in the weapons store and at knick-knacks.

As she passed the shops one by one she found her stopping in front of one. She really shouldn't be, she didn't need anything from it and didn't have time for what it sold. But before she could logically get herself out of it, her legs took her into the small pet store.

She should have known better, she really should have. Because she knew her penchant for animals and she'd always wanted a pet but she'd never had the time for it. She still didn't. And she knew that if she browsed the store she'd want one all the more and she was right. As she walked past cages of smaller critters – mice, rats, rabbits, birds – she found herself with the strong urge to take an animal home.

Not a reptile, she wasn't quite fond of them and she'd spent enough time with toads – courtesy of Naruto – as it was.

But not a dog either, not that she minded the four legged animals, but she was fine with knowing Pakkun and the rest of Kakashi's dog pack. But she'd never remember smaller mammals like rabbits and mice and birds weren't ideal for when she was working from home.

So what else was there?

As she browsed deeper into the store, waving off one of the workers that she was alright and didn't need help, she came to standstill. When she saw the small ball of fur she knew she'd found the perfect one. The one that wouldn't be quite a pet; the one that didn't need her around all the time or even most of the time. But enough of a bit of a companion and for when Itachi was gone on long missions, far from home.

This one would be perfect.

..:Xx0o0xX:..

Itachi tried to keep an even pace, his team would have trouble keeping up if he pushed to go even faster. He knew why he felt the urge to hurry; he always did when he was so close to home. He couldn't wait to find his pink-haired lover after being gone for nearly three months, she'd be waiting and he didn't want to keep her any longer than he had to.

When they finally got to the village he paused only briefly, just long enough to say he would get the report and that they had done a good job on the mission. With nods, each member of the ANBU team shot off towards their destination.

Almost there. Within mere seconds he was slowing down at the door of Sakura's small apartment and faint smile found its way to his lips. Home.

He found the key in the pocket at his hip, quickly inserting and unlocking the door. As he entered he found Sakura sitting on the couch reading a book, most likely an informational text, a small black bundle in her lap. He found curiosity bubble up but the urge to hold and kiss her took precedence. So with swift strides he skirted the coffee table which was covered with papers and books askew everywhere. The glass table was always covered with something that was or contained parchment and pencils or ink containers. Upon his arrival, she had leaned forward to put the book down, not closing it as she knew she'd pick it back up eventually. The object in her lap stirred and moved as she did. His curiosity peaked.

Reaching down, he tugged her to him heedless of the black mammal that had skittered off her lap and to the floor. She came willingly to her feet without even a glance at the creature. He decided to ignore said animal for the moment in favor of kissing his girlfriend of nearly a year. She slung her arms around his neck in an almost lazy manner. In the process she had removed his mask, allowing it to fall on her open book. He brought her even closer for a kiss, long and hard. Both conveying their feelings and how much they had missed each other. His arms wound themselves around her waist, reflexively tightening.

After a long moment that felt too short, he pulled away. Dark eyes appraised what he could see of the petit woman in his arms, she was in a mere t-shirt and sweat pants, his from what he remembered of first laying eyes on her. It was a common attire her when she didn't see the need to look pretty or even get completely dressed for the day.

"I missed you." She murmured almost huskily.

He nodded, the smile becoming more pronounced. "And I you."

Leaning forward, she planted a chaste kiss on his lips pulling back with a grin a moment later as she did so. "I love you, Itachi."

It never ceased to amaze him how affectionate she always was, so responsive and quick to shower him with her love. But it wasn't unwelcome, in fact he couldn't image go even a day without it if he wasn't on a mission. Nor did he want to. He kissed her in turn, "I love you, too, Sakura." It had taken a very long time before he'd ever spoken to the words to her, now it seemed he said it nearly every time she did. But he meant it completely, the both always did.

Finally he looked over her shoulder to find the object of his curiosity still where it had landed, long tail swishing this way and that as it waited patiently on its hind legs.

Noticing his gaze, she looked in the same direction, twisting in his arms as she did so. With a mischievous look over her shoulder she softly patted her leg. It tilted its head, ears swiveling at the sound and then it pounced. With meow that cat pushed off the couch on its way up, fastening it's claws upon impact when it reached the fabric of her shirt just above Itachi's arms.

Itachi blinked, surprised at how well the feline listened and then glanced at his mate questioningly.

Said woman stepped out of the circle of his arms, her own keeping the cat from falling. She sat down and as soon as she was comfortable, it retracted its claws so that it fell in her lap, resuming the curled up position it had when he first entered. Placing a hand on it she finally looked up to meet his eyes.

"Like him? I had passed a pet shop the morning you left and for some reason decided to go inside. When I ran across him, I couldn't help myself. He's good company when your gone, listens well but doesn't need me to get by."

When she was finished speaking she couldn't help it; Sakura chuckled at the look on her boyfriend's face.

"You replaced me…with a cat."

She shook her head, pink locks flying every where. "No, I just get lonely when you're gone for months at a time. So this was my solution. Besides, he's cute and reminds me of you."

He met her twinkling eyes warily, "Of me?" When she nodded earnestly, he began to look curious, sitting down next to her – close enough that their thighs were completely touching – on the loveseat. As soon as he was situated the pure black fur ball jumped into his lap and, curling up the way he had on Sakura's, he seemed content to stay there. "How so?" He placed a gloved hand on the cat's head causing it to purr. Itachi found he didn't mind the small creature, barely more than a kitten really. His gaze slid back to green eyes.

"Well…you've always seemed…catlike…to me. Tiger-ish, really." She answered and kissed him.

He kissed back easily; shifting to press against her more fully once more and faintly noted that the cat merely shifted.

When they parted he smirked down at her, "Like a tiger?"

Now it was her turn to be wary as she confirmed it with a slight bob of her head. "Yeah: strong, graceful, dangerous, beautiful. Should I go on?"

His smirk widened, storing the information for later uses – namely teasing her into nearly crimson colored blushes that he found himself addicted to.

"Oh, and I decided to name him Hiewa. What do you think?" The feline looked up, clearly already used to being called by the name; Itachi tilted his head then nodded.

"Though what are we going our child when you conceive?" He all but purred

Her jaw dropped and he found himself chuckling in pure amusement.


	8. 2 Touch: Watery

**Title:** Moments in Time: A Close Up

**Author:** AppleL0V3R

**Beta-reader:** Terror-Of-The-Crimson-Night

**Fandom:** Naruto

**Pairing:** Uchiha, Itachi and Haruno, Sakura

**Chapter:** Eight – #2 Touch: Watery

**Rating:** T

**Type:** One-shot – Complete

**Summary:** Prompts from Moments in Time that I was requested to expand on. 8. 2 – Touch: Watery. Just like the water. Warm and Cold. Smothering and embracive. He was both always both.

**Word Count:** 1,030

**Disclaimer:** If you've heard of it before, then it's obviously not mine.

**Note:** As the summary states these were skits I was asked to turn into actually works. I will always put which one it was and the skit just before the chapter. They won't be in numerical order because I'm doing them as I'm requested. They won't be any more than one-shots though they may become two to five –shots (I will forewarn when that happens) but they won't become stories unless I choose to.

I realize this one is a lot shorter than all my others, but I really don't want to extend the length of this one – my brain doesn't like the idea and isn't functioning properly at the moment anyway. So, just bare with me on this one and the next one will be back to my usual word count range.

**Request by:** Fuai

..:Xx0o0xX:..

2. Touch (Sakura)

His touch was feather-light; like he was afraid she would break. She wouldn't. He was the one with a chronic incurable disease. Not her. He was the one losing his eyesight at an alarming rate. Not her. So why be so gentle when everything about him was jagged in one way or another?

"Blossom." She almost didn't hear him. And she wouldn't have, had he not had his lips pressed against her ear.

"Love?" How was it she could hardly feel him when he was completely wrapped around her?

He shook his head.

"You can hold tighter."

A corner of his mouth lifted and he squeezed, but he didn't hold tighter.

She shook her head, quietly laughing. At least he'd always be here. Beside her.

..:Xx0o0xX:..

Hailing from the Uchiha clan, and even being the heir to it, meant that it was expected he specialized in fire. What most didn't know or didn't realize was that he also specialized in water. Just one of the many paradoxes of him. He was destructive like fire, alive like fire. But he was calm like water, lager than life like water. The more she got to know him though, the more she found him to be like water in almost every way.

Water was truly his element.

She knew she was one of the very few who would know that though, Itachi tended to guard most of his abilities – especially strengths and weaknesses. He was a brilliant tactician aware that the best strengths were also one's worst weaknesses.

And she was one of them.

She didn't mind though. It meant he trusted her explicitly, with his body, life and even his entire heart. And he had hers. But that wasn't publicly known either.

She knew all of his secrets, all the regrets and prideful points in his life. Including the fact that he'd almost agreed to massacre his clan, that he was dying and going blind at the same time. It killed her to know all those things, it killed her heart to think that if she could do something – if she didn't stop it before it was too late – that he would forever be out of her reach.

But even with that knowledge, she freely gave everything to him, allowed him into every crack of her life. Because she cherished him, everything about him and she wouldn't give him up for the world.

And moments like these where they could just lie in bed together for a little longer – neither having to work for the day though they'd both still end up having to get up – were some of those bright points that she knew would never dim. Nothing would with him next to her, with him with her.

His touch was feather-light – it always was, never rough or too tangible – like he was afraid she would break. She wouldn't, they both knew that. He was the one with a chronic incurable disease, the one she was still working on a cure for though she didn't even know exactly what his disease was. Not her. He was the one losing his eyesight at an alarming rate, it didn't matter how many times she told him to use it minimally. Not her.

So why be so gentle when everything about him was jagged in one way or another? Because he was, jagged and prickly. But graceful and smooth too. How paradoxical of him.

"Blossom." She almost didn't hear him. And she wouldn't have, had he not had his lips pressed against her ear as he breathed the nickname that he so favored for her.

"Love?" How was it she could hardly feel him when he was completely wrapped around her?

He shook his head. She smiled knowing he'd said the nickname – the one he wouldn't say unless he was absolutely sure it was just the two of them – because he could and he wanted to.

"You can hold tighter, you know." She remarked lightly, not really inclined to move away from her spot on his bed, curled against his side with her head on his bare chest.

A corner of his mouth lifted and he squeezed, but he didn't hold tighter.

Her smile widened as she shook her head, quietly laughing.

The first strands of light were finding their way between the curtains and onto the wooden floor across the room.

It was moments like these that hardened her resolve to halt all those health problems he had, to turn them around and beat them into nothing like she did when dealing with a patient on the verge of death. If she could do that, she could do this. All she needed was time she might not have.

But that was okay because at least he'd always be here. Beside her. And she refused to leave him, not ever.


	9. 8 Lick: Powder

**Title:** Moments in Time: A Close Up

**Author:** AppleL0V3R

**Beta-reader:** Terror-Of-The-Crimson-Night

**Fandom:** Naruto

**Pairing:** Uchiha, Itachi and Haruno, Sakura

**Chapter:** Nine – #8 Lick: Powder

**Rating:** T

**Type:** One-shot – Complete

**Summary:** Prompts from Moments in Time that I was requested to expand on. 9. 8 – Lick: Powder. Later, she'd blame the lemon snow she'd made for getting her into this mess.

**Word Count:** 2,525

**Disclaimer:** If you've heard of it before, then it's obviously not mine.

**Note:** As the summary states these were skits I was asked to turn into actually works. I will always put which one it was and the skit just before the chapter. They won't be in numerical order because I'm doing them as I'm requested. They won't be any more than one-shots though they may become two to five –shots (I will forewarn when that happens) but they won't become stories unless I choose to.

**Request by:** Fuai

Note: I've never had lemon snow myself, it's in my mom's recipe book but I'm not sure what it looks like, tastes like, or if it is even powdery. But for the sake of this one-shot I'm going to say that it's powdery and cake-like (whether it is or not and I'd appreciate it if someone informed me about it).

..:Xx0o0xX:..

8. Lick (Sakura)

Sakura was a bold individual, but also shy depending on the situation. And right now, she was definitely shy. In fact she was confounded, blushing and it was completely not her fault. It was his. He was the stranger – he was Sasuke's brother, but she didn't know him well and therefore a stranger – who decided to grab her hand and lick her fingers of the powdery substance on them. Sure they were in a secluded clearing by themselves, but what the hell?

And before she could react properly he leaned over and licked the corner of her mouth, humming as he pulled back.

She froze.

Amusedly he told her. "You look cute like that."

And sputtered.

Too dark eyes, "I think I like you."

What?

..:Xx0o0xX:..

Sakura hummed happily to herself as she dried her hands off on the towel. She'd finally gotten around to making the lemon snow desert. It was something she had eaten since she was young and when she was around nine she got her mother to teach her how to make it, the recipe for it ran in the family after all. Now she made it when she found the time because it was still her favorite desert.

Now that she'd finished making it she could eat a slice of it. She smiled at the thought, just thinking of the flavor on her tongue made her shiver. And the rest would last for about a week, she always made sure to make more than one serving because her comrades liked the desert as well. Grabbing a butter knife from the table she carefully sliced the first lemon snow into equal pieces, getting as many as she could without the size being too small. She then proceeded to take a slice and put the rest away, setting the slice on a plate, she hurried to finish getting ready for the day. It wasn't uncommon for her to eat a lemon snow piece of cake while going somewhere. Her particular favorite place was watching the sunrise in a clearing while munching on it.

And right then, that didn't sound like a half-bad idea.

With that decided, when she was ready she grabbed the piece of desert and left her apartment.

Sakura was the kind of busy body that seemed to always be working because she always had more to do even if others didn't see it that way. She was constantly making progress, but every step she took meant another was added on at the end of the road. She didn't mind though, it meant always having a challenge, always having something to do.

But as she walked down the main road to her destination, making sure her treat wasn't ruined before she got the chance to eat it – which tended to happen on a regular basis for a whole assortment of reasons – and managing to great everyone around her with the proper amount of politeness. She'd never been able to figure out why so many people bothered to get to know her, even normally antisocial people that just wanted everyone else to leave them alone. But she wasn't exactly complaining either, she had after all been taught she should never limit her amount of friends and colleagues because there was every chance that she might need one or more of them one day. Naruto had told her on multiple occasions that she was a hard person not to like, to which Sasuke would add a snort and how much of a pain it was just to keep her attention for more than five minutes.

She loved her boys, honest she did, they were pretty much her brother's after all, but sometimes they were a little too protective of who she got close to – especially when dealing with the male gender.

A smile graced her lips at the thought of how much humiliation and embarrassment they'd gotten her into over the years and couldn't think of how exasperatingly amusing it was now. Though she had been furious then, ready to rip their vocal boxes – and whatever else was causing the problem at that time – and shove it down their throats. Thankfully she'd had more self control than that and so had, at most, cussed them out and delivered a good whack to the head so they wouldn't forget her anger in a hurry.

After a small while she was out of the main hustle and bustle of the village and more than part of the way on the trail towards the small clearing she tended to train or think at when she wished to be alone. It wouldn't be far now.

She found herself more than a little surprised when she got there though. Upon arrival, she found that the infamous Uchiha, Itachi was already there. Forcing her legs to keep moving she strode to the base of a tree, one that gave her full view of the Uchiha heir. He was currently going through the forms with his katana, graceful and smooth and quick. She'd never really paid much attention to the older male, not like most of the girls and women of the village. She admired his prowess in every area they had in common, but that was about the extent of it considering she'd never even so much as said hello to the man.

Sasuke's brother or not, she wasn't going go gaga over someone she didn't know on even a professional level. She'd learned her lesson with Sasuke about that kind of behavior and there was no way in hell she was going to repeat it with the older of the two brothers.

Though the fact that she was watching him train didn't indicate any such thing. In fact, now that she thought about it, to him she was probably acting like all the other females that swooned over him. The very idea of being thought that way was horrifying. Not to mention he probably felt like she was intruding in a private place. This was the first time she'd ever seen anyone but herself here, which meant he probably hadn't either.

Great. With any luck he would ignore her or something without her having to leave the spot she was currently sitting in. This particular tree had a good view of the surroundings and directly faced the rising sun, it was also one of her favorite spots in the whole clearing. Determined to not look like she had noticed him or was watching him, she shifted into a more comfortable position and starting eating her piece of lemon snow.

..:Xx0o0xX:..

He'd heard her before she'd even left the underbrush of the surrounding forestry. It had honestly surprised him that she would choose to come here when he was out in the open. After all, when he'd first stumbled across this clearing she was already here, she'd been practicing a set of maneuvers she had recently learned – if her slowly gaining grace and preciseness with them was any indication.

At the time he'd merely concealed himself in the tree that she sat at the base of now and watched her. It was something he'd never done, but she was familiar and was already gaining in popularity amongst both the villagers and ninja's from foreign lands. It was unusual for anyone – especially a ninja – to have so many relations within and outside the village gates and so he had settled himself in to see what drew people to her.

He'd watched her for hours and had continued to come to this particular place to watch her. Sometimes she meditated, sometimes she did a bit of paperwork, sometimes she trained, but he found no matter what she did she continued to gain his interest. When she wasn't here he would train because after a time he'd simply just started making room in his schedule to watch her. He'd never gotten around to actually speaking with her; he wanted to learn what he could about her beforehand. Though that didn't mean he hadn't spoken to his otouto about her, the boy had been predictably wary, grouchy and questioned everything he asked. But Itachi was used to his antics and so could usually get whatever piece of information he was looking for.

He knew though that Sasuke had never said anything to Sakura of it though because the girl never bothered to speak to him when she had the chance. She'd nod absently to him, but seemed inclined to stay professional and polite.

Perhaps it was time he changed they're relationship. After having kept an eye out for her when the opportunity turned up between his work and family, he found he now wanted to know things about her that Sasuke wouldn't have the answer to. Things that he didn't want Sasuke to have the answer to. Which meant speaking to her was now becoming necessary.

And her coming here had just presented him with the chance.

..:Xx0o0xX:..

Fate seemed to be against her.

She'd finished her food just as the Uchiha had apparently finished his exercises for the time being. And unlike what she had hoped, he didn't ignore her. He looked right at her as he sheathed his sword and turned towards her. Eyes set intensely on her, he put one foot in front of the other, quickly, quietly and gracefully closing the distance between them.

He didn't stop a few feet before her; he invaded her bubble of personal space to the point where she could see the cobalt slivers in his sable black eyes. Instinct told her to back up, but her back was already pressed into the bark of the tree uncomfortably and because he was so close she found no way to wiggle to either side. She was effectively stuck.

Sakura was a bold individual, but also shy depending on the situation. And right now, she was definitely shy. In fact she was confounded, blushing and it was completely not her fault. It was his. He was the stranger – he was Sasuke's brother, but she didn't know him well and therefore a stranger – who decided to grab her hand and lick her fingers of the powdery substance on them. Sure they were in a secluded clearing by themselves, but what the hell?

And before she could react properly he leaned over and licked the corner of her mouth, humming as he pulled back.

She froze. No muscle, not even her lungs would work at that second. Though, in her defense, she was pretty damn sure she was justified considering the situation.

Amusedly he told her. "You look cute like that."

Now she sputtered. Her breathing had come back, as irregular as it was, but it seemed not even her brain could react at the moment.

Too dark eyes, "I think I like you."

What?

Her brain had officially shut down, unable to comprehend anything at the moment. Especially what he'd just said. And because her brain had blanked on her those words floated around her head. Bouncing off walls of a hollow cranium and echoing as the words had been shouted in a mountain range. Honestly, she was amazed she hadn't fainted or anything.

She felt his eyes stay on her, still holding her hand – index and middle fingers angled on the back of her hand and the other two on her wrist and his thumb pressed into the padding of her palm – in a firm but light grip. He seemed inclined to stay exactly where he was and wait for her reaction.

After a few moments it came.

The words that hadn't been able to even penetrate the surface slammed into her hard as brick and took complete control of her train of thought.

"But…" her voice was wobbly and slightly off pitch "I've never even _spoken_ to you."

His eyes seemed to glow, the amusement still blatantly obvious though it was now joined with something else. Something she couldn't quite put her finger on, but she was fairly certain she hadn't been the object of it in a very long time, if ever. "You are now."

She scrambled for another excuse, "You don't know me." Yes that one was perfect.

He shook his head, hair swishing with the pull of gravity. She forced herself to breath past the lump that had formed in her throat at the sight. If Sasuke was hot, then Itachi wasn't only sexy or even drop dead gorgeous, he was off the charts. _So that's why girls fawn over him all the time_, she thought faintly. "No, I do know a bit about you."

Hadn't today been a slightly chilly day? So why the hell did it feel like it was hotter then the hottest day in a desert?

This was definitely his fault. Why was he doing this to her? "I don't know you." She blurted haphazardly.

Now a knowing smirk graced his lips. She couldn't get past the fact that it was turning her to liquid, but she knew somewhere in the back of her not quite empty mind that the motion would not bode well for her. In fact it's almost devious nature made her realize that he was leading her, leading this conversation. He was a brilliant tactian that had yet to be beaten.

She was screwed. There was no way she was getting out of this even mostly in tact. Still she refused to gulp down the saliva that was building far too quickly for her liking.

He leaned forward again, she could feel his warm breath on her lips and again her mind seemed to be steadily blanking, "That can be arranged." He paused then, "Sa-ku-ra."

And it was gone again. With the exception of the simply sentence: _I'm soooo done for_.


	10. 21 Pride: Points

**Title:** Moments in Time: A Close Up

**Author:** AppleL0V3R

**Beta-reader:** Terror-Of-The-Crimson-Night

**Fandom:** Naruto

**Pairing:** Uchiha, Itachi and Haruno, Sakura

**Chapter:** Ten – #21 Pride: Points.

**Rating:** T

**Type:** One-shot – Complete

**Summary:** Prompts from Moments in Time that I was requested to expand on. 10. 21 – Pride: Points. He'd always be prideful, simply because of his upbringing. But not in himself, in his family.

**Word Count:** 1,535

**Disclaimer:** If you've heard of it before, then it's obviously not mine.

**Note:** As the summary states these were skits I was asked to turn into actually works. I will always put which one it was and the skit just before the chapter. They won't be in numerical order because I'm doing them as I'm requested. They won't be any more than one-shots though they may become two to five –shots (I will forewarn when that happens) but they won't become stories unless I choose to.

Also, I decided to make this one and extension of #17 Family: Peace (chapter 5).

**Request by:** child of a fallen angel

..:Xx0o0xX:..

21. Pride (Itachi)

Most saw Uchiha, Itachi as a prideful person. And to an extent he was, but if it was in any way unnecessary then he wouldn't waste time ridding himself of it.

Right now though, there couldn't be anyone prouder. He watched his sons and daughter practice together, still too young not to make a game of it shortly after. The first time they'd done this he'd almost stepped in until she stopped him "They're kids, let them play. It's the best way for them to learn quickly."

She was also a point of pride. She was everything he needed and wanted and then some. So bright and accomplished. A beautiful smile and a warm heart.

He hoped their children would share some of those traits.

..:Xx0o0xX:..

Hiewa's birth had been in no way intentional. In fact, Itachi had never even planned on a life till death with Sakura let alone with a child as well. But when Sakura had conceived and told him about it, he'd found a part of him wanting to stay beside her – she'd vehemently refused the option of abortion and he never even brought it up – and the unborn child. When Hiewa was born and he'd held the boy as not even an hour-old infantile, he found the rest of him never wanting to even considering the idea of leaving either the mother or the child.

And with that vow to himself made, he changed all of his carefully laid plans. Changed the course he'd put Sasuke on – he'd never rectified that, but according to Sakura the younger Uchiha had found solace on his own – as well as the one he'd inadvertently ended up on as well.

And so, after Sakura had woken from her nap and she'd been discharged from the hospital, they'd rented a hotel so that they could set up a plan for their life together. She'd told him nearly the moment she woke there was no way she was going to live separately from him and they'd have to find a place to live.

Such a declaration upon waking would startle most, but he'd gotten used to her habit of doing that and so had easily conceded as he rocked the sleeping baby in his arms.

When they'd settled into the hotel room and Sakura had set up a make-shift cradle for Hiewa they'd begun discussing options.

She'd offered Suna only to have him decline. Too many people recognized him there and just because she was the sister of the Kazekage's best friend didn't mean that said leader would let Itachi's presence in his village go unchecked.

He'd offered Iwa. He'd never truly caused a problem for the place and it would be easy enough to stay under the radar. She voted that one with the reasoning that she had caused more than a few problems for it's villagers and even threatened – very veiled but a threat all the same – the Tsuchikage, not to mention that thanks to the Third Secret Ninja war Iwa-nins couldn't stand even the sight of a Konoha shinobi, former or not, would be cause a commotion.

Konoha was off limits for the obvious reasons, though he had informed her that she would visit her home periodically. She'd raised an eyebrow at the command but didn't protest with anything more than an exasperated shake of her head and a special sort of smile that only he could procure out of her.

Kumo had also been set on the table but just as the others had been turned down. The reason being that the Raikage was known to be short tempered and his brother was a jinchuriki. If Itachi was spotted, not only did the kill order cause a problem but the people would have motivation – however misplaced, though understandable – to carry out the order.

Which had left Kiri. Kiri itself had been discarded as a place to live but Nami no Kuni had been decided on.

And with that it was simply a matter of getting there and finding a suitable home to reside in. When they had and the both of them had managed to set up a baby room for Hiewa as that and taken precedence over everything else, Sakura had left to tell her home of the course of events in her life. That she was withdrawing from being a kunoichi, that she was moving to Nami no Kuni and that she had given birth to a child but wouldn't say who the father was. Eventually her family and teacher had conceded to all of those facts with the simple promise that she would visit frequently and when the Hiewa was old enough he would be brought with and would eventually be enrolled in the Ninja Academy should he want to.

Before Hiewa's birth Itachi hadn't known what would happen, with so many possibilities he'd naturally assumed the worst. After when Sakura had returned, he'd marveled at how smoothly things had gone, how easily peace had overtaken both their lives and promised to keep them together until the end simply because of a newborn baby.

But he wouldn't trade it for the world. He'd never, never even consider giving it up.

And with that the three of them lived happily together, year's passed and Hiewa grew. When the boy was five Sakura was once more pregnant, twin boys. And three years after their birth she'd given birth to a baby girl.

It seemed almost unreal to him. Waking up to her everyday knowing she would never leave his side and would fight vehemently to keep her place. Waking to four children that adored and loved their parents with all their hearts. He found his vow to be the father his own never was come true more and more each day. Motherhood hadn't changed Sakura in the slightest though, she still had a volatile temper and gentle hand.

And as he watched all four of his sons and daughter practice together, still too young not to make a game of it shortly after, he felt a strong sense of pride and love for all of them. Hiewa was already a chunin, what with the youngest of them already at the age of four and the other two would be graduating to genin within months. It had been tricky at first, to keep Hiewa mostly at home with them though still one of Konoha's shinobi, but they'd managed to work it out without too much of a problem. Now the boy was an accomplished chunin well on his way to being more than just his parents' pride. And his siblings were right behind him. He was the type of older brother Itachi had always wished to be but had never gotten the chance, though his son's younger siblings were a lot more understanding than Sasuke had been. Granted they were all treated equally and given the same amount of attention and affection by both parents.

The first time Hiewa had done this he'd almost stepped in until she stopped him "He's still a kid, let him play. Besides, children need a childhood, otherwise they find themselves with a lot of heartache eventually." He'd turned the statement over in his mind and had eventually decided that she was right. He knew that his offspring would still face all sorts of problems and pains, but the one he'd suffered didn't have to be one of them. And it wouldn't. They'd grow up in the care of a loving family like Sakura had. And so he'd joined his son in the game he'd made of the training at slightly formed the game to be more advantageous to both learning and playing.

Sakura was also a point of pride. One he'd never forgot or neglect. She was everything he needed and wanted and then some. So bright and accomplished. A beautiful smile and a warm heart. The love of his life and with the children accounted for they all of them were his life.

He hoped their children would share some of those traits And perhaps a few of his own.


	11. 22 Prejudice: Bookworm

**Title:** Moments in Time: A Close Up

**Author:** AppleL0V3R

**Beta-reader:** Terror-Of-The-Crimson-Night

**Fandom:** Naruto

**Pairing:** Uchiha, Itachi and Haruno, Sakura

**Chapter:** Eleven – #22 Prejudice: Bookworm

**Rating:** T

**Type:** One-shot – Complete

**Summary:** Prompts from Moments in Time that I was requested to expand on. 11. 22 – Prejudice: Bookworm. He was the only one who could pull her from any book at any time.

**Word Count:** 1,325

**Disclaimer:** If you've heard of it before, then it's obviously not mine.

**Note:** As the summary states these were skits I was asked to turn into actually works. I will always put which one it was and the skit just before the chapter. They won't be in numerical order because I'm doing them as I'm requested. They won't be any more than one-shots though they may become two to five –shots (I will forewarn when that happens) but they won't become stories unless I choose to.

Also, I've never read _Pride and Prejudice_, I just know that it was set during the Victorian era (or it had a Victorian themes) but that's it. So please bear with me on that note.

**Request by:** child of a fallen angel

..:Xx0o0xX:..

22. Prejudice (Sakura)

"How many times have you read that now?"

Sakura didn't miss a beat "Five, At least. Which makes this my sixth or so."

Itachi shook his head amusedly at his wife. She looked up then and like she always did she glanced down, shut the book and walked towards him. Not far, just skirting the coffee table that was the unfortunate victim of both workaholics' paperwork when brought home.

With a lazy smile, she placed the book on a stack of papers. Itachi knew just by a glance that it was the wrong place. Still, she circled her arms around his neck and propped on tiptoes, she kissed him.

As he kissed back there was a crash of papers and a hard thud.

Oh well.

..:Xx0o0xX:..

Naruto and Sasuke tended to like calling her bookworm whenever she even said something about a book. It wasn't without due cause though. She didn't have the IQ Shikamaru did, but she also didn't have his laziness. She loved reading in her spare time no matter what it was. It could be anywhere between reference books to science fiction novels. Anything that caught her eye was sure to be in her hand in a matter of time and once it was nothing could pull her away from it.

Nothing and no one, except her husband.

That's what had initially got her attention about him. Not the fact that he came from a prestigious family or that he was a prodigy, not even that he was incredibly handsome. Nope, just that he could pull her away from her reading material, a feat no one else could truly claim. And he'd done it repeatedly since.

She'd learned since that first meeting to just look at her page number and put the book down because there was no way she'd be able to focus on it while he wanted her attention. Though it wasn't just the demanding aura that he exuded either, it was also that there was something about him that drew her attention like nothing else could.

And she'd found that she had the same effect on him, many dates and conversations later.

This fact was probably a good portion of why they were married now.

She had to admit there was times when it was irritating how he could have her full attention any time he so pleased, especially when she really needed to be working on some file she'd brought home. But most of the time it was amusing and warming to know.

She flipped the page of her current book: _Pride and Prejudice_. It was her all time favorite book and she liked the movie as well. But like most in the media, books were always better than the movies and this case was no different. Honestly, it was a surprise she hadn't read it more times than she already had, but it did take awhile before she finally got around to finding the time to read it in the first place. She shifted her legs slightly, they were folded neatly against the back of the couch as she rested against the armrest. A blanket was tossed haphazardly around her legs, pulled to her belly with the book leaning against the vertical lap her folded legs had created. She took another contended sip of her morning coffee.

The sun was barely up but she had been up much longer considering she'd taken the night shift and had only gotten home an hour ago. Usually she would have gone right to bed, snuggling in next to the heat of her bedmate. But said bedmate had been away on a week-long business trip and would be returning sometime this morning. She couldn't wait, couldn't wait to kiss him and hug him again. It felt like eternity without him gone – even with her busy schedule – and not quite home without him there. It would be nice to hold him again, speak to him face-to-face instead of in the snatched minutes over the phone.

She glanced at the clock on the wall, the very thought of him making her antsy for his return. He'd said after five, it was already six. Shaking her head she centered her attention back on the parchment paper and dried ink before her, she tended to read this whenever she was waiting up for him. It kept her attention just enough so that she didn't check the clock every half minute as she was wont to without something to occupy her mind completely enough. And all the papers and documents on the coffee table would never be able to accomplish that.

As if her thoughts had summoned him – not likely considering didn't tend to before – the front door opened and Itachi stepped into the entry way. He set down his briefcase on chair that was next to the door and slipped off his shoes next. Finally he took off his over coat and placed it on the rack inside the closet.

And then he looked at her. Years of experience had taught them both that if he didn't do the other stuff first, it wouldn't get done in a very neat manner.

His dark eyes warmed at the sight of her as he approached only to stop on the other side of the glass table, the warmth was joined by amusement when he spotted what was in her grasp. "How many times have you read that now?"

She didn't miss a beat as her eyes never once strayed from said book even if she wasn't really reading anymore, "Five, At least. Which makes this my sixth or so."

Itachi shook his head amusedly at his wife. She looked up then. And like she always did, she glanced down before shutting the book. She put her coffee on the table stand behind her and then moved the blanket with the now freed hand, book still firmly in the other. She got up then, feet already heading straight for him. Not far, just skirting the coffee table that was the unfortunate victim of both workaholics' paperwork when brought home.

With a lazy smile, she placed the book on a stack of papers. Itachi knew just by a glance that it was the wrong place. Still, she circled her arms around his neck and propped on tiptoes, she kissed him.

As he kissed back there was a crash of papers and a hard thud.

This got a laugh out of her, but the sound was quickly swallowed by her male counterpart when he took the chance to slip his tongue into her mouth.

Oh well.

All that mattered to the both of them was what came next anyway; the mess could be cleaned up afterward.


	12. 27 Hide: Park Bench

**Title:** Moments in Time: A Close Up

**Author:** AppleL0V3R

**Beta-reader:** Terror-Of-The-Crimson-Night

**Fandom:** Naruto

**Pairing:** Uchiha, Itachi and Haruno, Sakura

**Chapter:** Twelve – #27 Hide: Park Bench

**Rating:** T

**Type:** One-shot – Complete

**Summary:** Prompts from Moments in Time that I was requested to expand on. 12. 27 – Hide: Park Bench. Even so young she still got his attention.

**Word Count:** 1,600

**Disclaimer:** If you've heard of it before, then it's obviously not mine.

**Note:** As the summary states these were skits I was asked to turn into actually works. I will always put which one it was and the skit just before the chapter. They won't be in numerical order because I'm doing them as I'm requested. They won't be any more than one-shots though they may become two to five –shots (I will forewarn when that happens) but they won't become stories unless I choose to.

**Request by:** child of a fallen angel and Anime Freak456

..:Xx0o0xX:..

27. Hide (Itachi)

He'd been taught from young to stamp out all emotion, give no reaction. Be the perfect solider.

And he was certainly on the right track to be everything they wanted him to be. A puppet.

Then she came along, barely more than a toddler. But she more than made the difference when she'd curled up to him on that bench as if seeking a place to simply rest. He'd been there simply to get away from the chaos of his clan event.

He'd woken to her footsteps and breathing and stilled when she crawled over him. He didn't pull or push away, the contact comforting and easy to have. He had the urge to curl around her.

She became something he couldn't – wouldn't – hide from.

..:Xx0o0xX:..

How was it, that he could be so young and still so used? The chunin exams had pretty much proved that he was exactly what they wanted him to be. But they still kept pushing, nothing was ever enough for his hungry clan. He could give them the world and they'd simply tell him to get the galaxy or maybe even the universe. He knew life wasn't fair, but he didn't realize just how unfair it could be.

He'd gotten through the chunin exams perfectly, was everything and more that was expected of the above average chunin. At an age that most would still be in the academy with much too learn. And they were already pushing him for ANBU. They'd said that it would be okay for him to skip jonin, it wasn't exactly required and ANBU would be better for the clan.

For the clan.

How many times had he heard that line?

Too many.

He held back the urge to kick something; he wanted to break something right then. But he'd been raised to neglect and ignore such urges so he merely kept his pace as he moved quickly on the trail.

There was bench up ahead, one that he liked to go to when he wanted time to think without disturbance or to merely regain control of his composure. Things a ten year old, even a shinobi ten year old should not have to be so conscious of. Soon he was seated on it, allowing the turmoil of his mind to take precedence. There wasn't anyone near, no one to watch. Just the serene sounds of nature on this barely used trail through the thick of one of Konoha's many forests.

He liked to stay there, sort things out or merely calm down. It was hard to hold onto fury in the face of nature. Though at times like this he found nature was merely aggravating, the way it kept going as if one person's suffering meant nothing. And maybe it did, maybe whether he was mad or sad or happy didn't affect nature so it paid him no mind.

It was too bad humans couldn't work the same way, they seemed to have the urge to control everything, well at least the ones with powerful positions did. His own family was a prime example of it, turning their own heir into a perfect puppet soldier before he was old enough to truly grasp the concept of what they were doing. At least he knew that was how it had worked with those before him, but they hadn't seen all of his potential and so hadn't set the pace fast enough or soon enough to reach the perfection they wanted. But he was already on the track to becoming it, it wouldn't be long now and when he made it into ANBU it would be just that much easier for them.

After a time he found himself turning sideways on the bench, pulling his feet up to lay down, the top of his head near the edge. He'd pillowed his head with and arm, the other straight at his side, calm and alert. It didn't take long for his eyes to slip shut and unconsciousness to drag him into a light napping state. His senses were more than sharp enough for him to know that nothing and no one could sneak up on him. He had enough time to take a small nap at least; after all it would probably be a while until someone noticed his absence and take even longer before they knew where he was. By that time he would be awake and back where they wanted him to be.

Loud footsteps, those of civilian child's, woke him before the cause of them was even in his line of vision. When he did catch sight of the source he found it to be in the form of a little girl, scarcely more than a toddler. She had short pink hair and half-lidded green eyes. She wasn't walking in a completely straight line and he realized she was half asleep. The closer she got, the more clearly he could hear her every breath. He'd never been around civilian children all that often and certainly never up close but he found himself staying completely still to see what she would do, where she would go. He wondered if her parents knew where she was at the moment.

And when she bumped into the bench he was still laying on she simply pulled one knee up, hoisted herself onto the sturdy wood and crawled over him to be between him and the back of the bench. He'd frozen up at the contact, so blatant and carefree, as if climbing over people to sleep on the other side of them on a park bench was natural for this girl child. Whether it was or not though, she made herself comfortable against him, even going so far as to push him in certain ways with small hands until she was contented with the position she'd put them in.

Instinct told him to pull away, to remove all physical contact. But he didn't. Part of him – some small, loud part in the back of his mind – was shouting for him not to follow his instincts, just this once. Where would it get him? He wondered, if he did nothing. What would happen if he listened to that voice – that curiosity? She was but a child, clearly a civilian. What was the harm and seeing how this played out?

So he stayed still even as she kept tugging and pushing so blindly, the slivers of green that he'd glimpsed minutes ago were already covered by thin flesh. When she finally settled he was on his side, facing her and she was on her side as well. Her small legs were curled in slightly and she'd managed to get both of them between his own. Her arms were folded, forearms against his torso and both hands holding fistfuls of his shirt and she'd nuzzled her face into the crook of his neck. She seemed contented to stay exactly like that.

He paused for a long moment to analyze the situation. She'd put them in what would be an intimate position in any other case, but she was probably used to cuddling with in this manner and so thought nothing of it. Though why her sleepy mind had thought it okay to do so with a stranger on forest park bench was something he couldn't figure out.

Maybe he could get that answer when she woke.

He stilled at that thought. Did he truly intend to stay like this until she woke?

Yes. He realized that he did. No matter what.

And if her parents came, or even his relatives? There were a dozen ways this out-of-the-blue, interesting situation could cause quite a lot of trouble. Trouble that his ten year old mind didn't have the slightest clue of how to get out of.

But still he couldn't seem to make his limbs move, her small body exuded warmth and ease. Something he'd never gotten freely from anyone, especially not a stranger. She felt different from others and he found he didn't want to give that up just yet.

And so, finally he pressed his free hand under her, curling her closer. She made a sound in the back of her throat and nuzzled further into his neck before sighing and stilling once more.

Whatever came next was out of his hands. Like everything else in his life. But this, this little girl, maybe she was fate's design. Maybe she was supposed to mean something to him. Maybe she was exactly what he needed.

Whatever the case though, he decided he wanted to see it through to the end.


	13. 28 Hot: Heat

**Title:** Moments in Time: A Close Up

**Author:** AppleL0V3R

**Beta-reader:** Terror-Of-The-Crimson-Night

**Fandom:** Naruto

**Pairing:** Uchiha, Itachi and Haruno, Sakura

**Chapter:** Thirteen – #28 Hot: Heat

**Rating:** T

**Type:** One-shot – Complete

**Summary:** Prompts from Moments in Time that I was requested to expand on. 13. 28 – Hot: Heat. It seemed no matter where they were, he always exuded heat. And so she was always hot.

**Word Count:** 1,135

**Disclaimer:** If you've heard of it before, then it's obviously not mine.

**Note:** As the summary states these were skits I was asked to turn into actually works. I will always put which one it was and the skit just before the chapter. They won't be in numerical order because I'm doing them as I'm requested. They won't be any more than one-shots though they may become two to five –shots (I will forewarn when that happens) but they won't become stories unless I choose to.

**Request by:** child of a fallen angel and Anime Freak456

..:Xx0o0xX:..

28. Hot (Sakura)

Sakura glared at the sand, kicking it with her boot. "Why the hell do deserts have to be so damn hot?"

"Because it's a sandy desert. Besides they're freezing at night." Itachi answered smoothly as if completely unaffected by the heat and his girlfriend's grumbling.

"Exactly! They should be more stable."

"Like Konoha?"

She threw him a dirty look.

He chuckled with a smirk, padding across the clearing they'd stopped at the night before, stopping beside her.

She met his eyes as he leaned down to kiss her.

His lips were hot, his touch scorching as gloved fingers swept across her cheek.

When he pulled back from their heated kiss, coldness rushed to take its place. She glared at him, "You did that on purpose."

..:Xx0o0xX:..

Sakura didn't mind Suna, the people were easy to get along with and Temari was a good friend of hers, hell she even liked the sand. What she didn't like was all the heat. If she had to choose between Suna's heat and Kiri's cold, she'd pick Kiri every time.

She had gone to Suna on a simple mission – more of a request from one Kage to another – along with Itachi. It was no big deal, wouldn't be long and plus she was with her lover. It was more like a vacation anyway, but now that they were heading home. Well, she was glad to be going home, but it also meant weathering a hot sandy desert for three days and the cold nights as well.

And since the mission was over and it was just the two of them, of course Sakura would end up complaining about it. Not enough to actually get on Itachi's nerves, but still complaining all the same.

Sakura glared at the sand. "Why the hell do deserts have to be so damn hot?" She kicking the tan mounds of particles with her boot, somehow she'd managed to get the stuff in her shoe as well.

"Because it's a sandy desert. Besides they're freezing at night." Itachi answered smoothly as if completely unaffected by the heat and his girlfriend's grumbling. And he was, he'd heard her do it enough times that it was more amusing than anything.

"Exactly! They should be more stable."

"Like Konoha?"

She threw him a dirty look. "Bite me."

He chuckled with a smirk, padding across the clearing they'd stopped at the night before, only coming to a halt when their faces were mere centimeters apart.

She met his eyes as he leaned down to kiss her, the second his skin met hers, her eyes closed out of reflex.

His lips were hot, his touch scorching as gloved fingers swept across her cheek and she could feel the body heat exuding from him. It was a different heat from the one around them, a normally comfortable heat.

When he pulled back from their heated kiss, coldness rushed to take its place. She glared at him, "You did that on purpose."

Again he chuckled, settling his hands on her hips, "Perhaps."

She growled with frustration but before she could snap at him, he'd dipped his head back down again. But it wasn't to kiss her, this time he went for her neck. She couldn't help the groan as he sucked on the flesh at the base of her neck. Without warning he bit down and she squeaked in surprise. "Itachi." He let go quickly, lapping his tug over the bruised skin.

Then he pulled back, just enough to see her entire face.

One of her eyebrows was arched, "What was that for?"

He tilted his head slightly, "You said to bite you. That's not what you meant?"

She blinked, "When did I…?"

He couldn't help his amusement. Did one simple kiss really make her so forgetful still? It was a pleasuring thing to know, how passionate his lover was. "When I was commenting on your complaints."

Again green eyes blinked and then she seemed to realize exactly what he meant. "Oh." Then she scowled, most would have been intimidated, he found it cute. "I didn't mean it literally."

"Then why say it?" He asked quizzically.

She rolled her eyes, "Because if I'd said anything else then you would have taken it literally in the wrong sense."

He tightened his grip, well aware of were this conversation could go if he pushed it enough. And he would have done so gladly, but he'd rather her big comfy bed rather than the desert floor. "Is that so? I hope you remember that when we get home."

Again she looked momentarily confused and slightly curious. He didn't say anything, merely waited for it to click in her mind. She'd reach the conclusion he wanted her to, without a problem, he was just curious as to how she'd react. When she still didn't seem to get it after a couple of seconds he shifted his arms until they were wrapped around her and he openly eyed her neck once more. That was all that was needed to draw a gasp from her, green eyes going wide.

He smirked down at her and she shivered in the circle of his arms. He could feel the heat pooling inside him but chose to ignore it for the time being. "Do you still not like the heat?"

She laughed then, smiling widely. "No, I still don't like heat. Not unless you have something to do with it."

He kissed her again, long and slow. She was quick to react, reciprocating the emotion and passion as she finally slipped her arms around his neck.

When they broke the kiss he didn't bother to move away for a long moment. "I suppose we'll just have to visit Suna more often."

This time she glared at him.


	14. 29 Secret: News

**Title:** Moments in Time: A Close Up

**Author:** AppleL0V3R

**Beta-reader:** Terror-Of-The-Crimson-Night

**Fandom:** Naruto

**Pairing:** Uchiha, Itachi and Haruno, Sakura

**Chapter:** Fourteen – #29 Secret: News

**Rating:** T

**Type:** One-shot – Complete

**Summary:** Prompts from Moments in Time that I was requested to expand on. 14. 29 – Secret: News. They'd both been known chaos would ensue when they decided to marry. But it didn't seem to matter.

**Word Count:** 2,030

**Disclaimer:** If you've heard of it before, then it's obviously not mine.

**Note:** As the summary states these were skits I was asked to turn into actually works. I will always put which one it was and the skit just before the chapter. They won't be in numerical order because I'm doing them as I'm requested. They won't be any more than one-shots though they may become two to five –shots (I will forewarn when that happens) but they won't become stories unless I choose to.

**Request by:** child of a fallen angel and Anime Freak456

..:Xx0o0xX:..

29. Secret (Itachi)

"Itachi?" Sakura mumbled sleepily from his bed.

He looked back from the window sell he was seated on. "Yes?"

"Come back to bed. You can worry about what your parents will say later."

He wasn't surprised that even more than half asleep and no more than a glance she knew what was on his mind. Nodding, he got up. "You're right." They'd been keeping their relationship a secret so that the clan wouldn't be able to say anything about it. Not until he proposed to her.

As he had last night.

Now it was time to stop keeping quiet about it, Sasuke already knew. That would help at the meeting today.

It wouldn't be easy but Sakura was right. But for now, it could wait.

..:Xx0o0xX:..

She skidded across the ground as she was forced back yet again. But the second she stopped she had to jump away from her spot as two kunai thudded where she'd been standing and as soon as the tip of her toe touched the ground she was already propelling herself into the air once more, this time to avoid a ball of fire. Once she had here feet on the ground again she lowered her body, dashing forward.

Her fist slammed into his forearm but he didn't give any sign whatsoever that she had done so. "Frontal attacks won't work, Sa-ku-ra." She shivered at how sinful her name sounded when he spoke it in that velvety tone of his.

She forced herself to go through with a kick; she couldn't afford to let herself melt into the sound of his voice because she if she did it would be a sure loss. And she needed to win, to prove that she was ready for ANBU. Again he blocked her limb, this time switching his position to grab her leg, moving faster that she could actually track. He was always a blur with how quick and fluid his movements were, just like water.

Water.

With the realization came a plan of attack and she lunged forward – knowing that he expected her to yank back – and because he wasn't prepared for it, she crashed into him. He lost his steady footing and fell backwards. He hit the rocky ground with a thud and she felt him lose his breath for the barest of moments. She had to act fast, fast enough to make this work because if it did, maybe she'd be on more even footing. But it wouldn't be completely even, it would never be completely even because her opponent was someone on a level all his own. That didn't mean she'd ever stop trying though.

She was currently on top of him, straddling his waist with each knee firmly on the ground on either side and she was bent over him, her breasts mere centimeters from his chest. Her breath came fast and his was still stunted. He'd lost hold of her shin and his hand now rested on the back of her thigh, fingers curling to the inside of it. She couldn't suppress the shiver of anticipation that it brought, how she forced her back to stay stiff and not arch into him. That would ruin the plan and getting distracted was not an option so she forced that part of her thoughts to the way back of her mind. She'd learned the hard way that she was perverse enough to not be able to actually get rid of them.

Stupid gutter mind.

Focus, she reminded herself.

She didn't have a lot of time and need to keep going.

The second he'd lost his breath she'd set her plan in motion knowing there was every chance it wouldn't change anything.

She thrust her fist into the ground, just inches from his pretty face and right as her clenched had connected with ground she'd released the chakra she'd coated her fist in. The sheer power and expansion of her chakra caused the ground to give a ripple form the focal point like the first shockwave traveling from the central area of an earthquake. It made him freeze even further; he knew the destruction she was capable of. And just like an earthquake, the next wave tore the very ground, splitting rock and forcing the almost even ground into levels.

Being so close to the focal point meant they got the worst of the damage. Just like she'd intended, the ground beneath him gave way like a cavern opening up and suddenly they were falling into blackness with nothing to catch them. It wouldn't matter if either one reached because anything within their reach would crumble as easily as a cookie before it supported either person's weight let alone both of them.

But she knew her own strength, the abyss would end soon enough. If her calculations of how much strength and raw power to put into the punch had been right then that should prove enough time to get him into a position that he couldn't fight back from easily. She knew he had lightning fast reflexes – perhaps they were even faster than lightning – but with his current shortage of breath as well as the fact that he now needed a plan of attack, then maybe – just maybe – he would be slow enough to react that this would give her the victory that she hoped it would.

Maybe hadn't been enough though.

He'd reacted just as fast as he normally would and before she could even shift their positions his hand on her thigh tightened – another involuntary shiver – and yanked. His other finding her the small of her back and had pushed on it at the same time he'd yanked. Suddenly she flush against him from thigh to chest. Pure surprise and desire had stilled her long enough for him to land on the ground as graceful as a cat and keep his strong hold on her even as his hand was immediately griping her neck and the one her thigh shifted slightly, to be more on the inside rather than underneath.

She stopped dead.

Because he'd just won. His hand on her neck held the blunt side of a kunai against the front of her throat – dead. The hand on the inside of her thigh was right over a vital vein, all it would take was a little force and he'd have it severed and her leg broken. The pain would be so bright and strong that for the space of even just a second would give him the opening to kill her – dead. And double damn.

Cursing silently she stayed still, realizing that her breath was even faster than it was when he'd fallen to the ground.

"Alright." She ground out. "You win."

But the look in his eyes told her that he wanted more than that. They seemed darker than normal – so dark she couldn't even see the cobalt slivers that she knew were there despite how close they he had them – and they were smoldering in that way that promised pleasure. Her mouth went dry, but she knew licking them would only invite that promise. Instead she gulped as he flicked the kunai away; she didn't even hear the thud of it when it landed because they were no longer in the sparring grounds.

..:Xxo0oxX:..

Sakura made an incoherent sound in the back of her throat as she snuggled further into the blankets, nuzzling the pillow. Then she groaned and Itachi knew it was because she'd realized that it was the pillow she'd buried her faced deeper into and not his neck. He watched her for a moment before returning his gaze to the night sky that he had such a good view of from his window. Perhaps she'd fall back asleep.

"Itachi?" Sakura mumbled sleepily from his bed. Then again, she seemed to always be just enough awake to know when things weren't exactly as she wanted them and with him across the room from her, things definitely as she wanted them.

He looked back from the window sell he was seated on. "Yes?"

"Come back to bed. You can worry about what your parents will say later."

He wasn't surprised that even more than half asleep and no more than a glance she knew what was on his mind. It was like she could read his thoughts sometimes even though she always stated that he was always the one in their relationship who knew exactly what to say and when. He'd beg to defer because this wasn't the first time she'd done this to him and he knew that wouldn't be the last. But he couldn't find it him to think of that in any negative context.

Nodding, he got up. "You're right." They'd been keeping their relationship a secret so that the clan wouldn't be able to say anything about it. She hadn't minded all too much considering it'd taken nearly two months into their courtship for her to break the news to her teammates. Needless to say the week following it had been exasperating for her and a headache for him. But thankfully Sasuke had said he wouldn't breathe a word of it to their parents, his exact words were "Don't worry, Aniki. I don't want any part of it." Then he'd snorted and with a shake of his head had left.

But he'd promise her when before she'd even accepted being his girlfriend that he would tell his family when he was certain they would met no resistance.

But then last night had happened. The words had slipped from his tongue and before he could say anything more she'd agreed to marry him.

And so he'd decided that he would tell the entire clan because now it was time to stop keeping quiet about it. And since Sasuke already knew he would have a strong support at the clan meeting today. That was the ideal time to tell of it after all.

It wouldn't be easy but Sakura was right. But for now, it could wait.

So he slid to the ground and padded toward the bed. He crawled under the covers and settled next to her, the second he stopped moving she curled around him. She'd turned on her side, placing her forearm against the side closest to her with her hand on his shoulder respectively and threw her other arm across his torso and the hand connected to that arm found its place on his chest just below the shoulder. She'd moved her leg to kidnap one of his own, pressing it between both of hers and finally she'd nuzzled into his neck with a contented sigh.

"Goodnight, my husband."

With that he found peace and warmth consume him. His arms found their way around her, pulling her closer and she shifted to accommodate. With a soft smile he kissed the top of her head, taking in the scent of her strawberry shampoo that mingled perfectly with her natural cotton candy body odder. Not for the first time, he realized he loved everything about the pink haired woman in his arms.

"Goodnight, my wife."


	15. 30 Sexy: Boys

**Title:** Moments in Time: A Close Up

**Author:** AppleL0V3R

**Beta-reader:** Terror-Of-The-Crimson-Night

**Fandom:** Naruto

**Pairing:** Uchiha, Itachi and Haruno, Sakura

**Chapter:** Fifteen – #30 Sexy: Boys

**Rating:** T

**Type:** One-shot – Complete

**Summary:** Prompts from Moments in Time that I was requested to expand on. 15. 30 – Sexy: Boys. How had that happened? How did she end up so close to both of the undeniably hot brothers?

**Word Count:** 2,340

**Disclaimer:** If you've heard of it before, then it's obviously not mine.

**Note:** As the summary states these were skits I was asked to turn into actually works. I will always put which one it was and the skit just before the chapter. They won't be in numerical order because I'm doing them as I'm requested. They won't be any more than one-shots though they may become two to five –shots (I will forewarn when that happens) but they won't become stories unless I choose to.

**Request by:** child of a fallen angel

..:Xx0o0xX:..

30. Sexy (Sakura)

The first time she saw him outside of his ANBU uniform, she'd had to remind herself to breathe. Certainly she knew that the Uchiha clan had a reputation for being unbelievably gorgeous. There was a time when she'd been gaga over her teammate for the very same reason. But she saw Sasuke on a regular bases and even – on the rare occasion – in nothing but boxers. So why did seeing Itachi in casual wear get her attention?

The first time she'd seen him shirtless on her table, she'd had to force herself to be professional. He wasn't just hot or handsome. He was sexy.

Now she knew why her nurses made such a big fuse over the two Uchiha brothers.

Thankfully, she didn't have to.

..:Xx0o0xX:..

The first time Sakura had ever seen Itachi was when she was still a preteen and genin. She hadn't paid him more than a passing thought because her objective was Sasuke, all that mattered was getting Sasuke's attention, acceptance, approval and of course a promise to marry her when they were of age. But she was little then, and to her credit because of it she'd gotten along with the older boy. Apparently because of her relationship with his brother, she was one of the few to know both brothers and not go for Itachi.

But that was a long time ago. And granted she was still somewhere between friends and close friends with Itachi, she still found herself affected like most girls her age by his appearance. She was simply lucky enough to be able to be in a close vicinity of him. Because now that she was no longer infatuated with Sasuke – it was hard to be when she remembered what an arrogant prick he'd been, which had inevitably got him decked and she'd lost her crush – she had noticed a little more as time went on how attractive Uchiha, Itachi really is.

It was unusual to catch him outside of his ANBU uniform, but on the occasions that she did she had to remind herself to breathe. It sucked how it seemed all the Uchihas she knew were positively jumpable. Well, with the exception of Sasuke. Yes, he was still a heartthrob but he was more like her brother now and to think of him that was just no. But she had to admit, since she didn't think of Itachi as family, she couldn't help but think of him as the hottest guy she'd ever seen.

And repairing all the damage he sustains and at least a weekly basis? That was pretty much the definition of hard – at least when it came to not jumping the guy. But she was able to refrain with logical reasoning like she didn't know him like that, trying it would ruin their current relationship and most of the time it was because doing so would only make the injuries worse. So she didn't, that didn't mean her mind didn't go there constantly until she was forced to block it out. Especially since more often then not he was usually shirtless because he'd broken a bone or gotten a nasty gash on his torso.

Her luck sucked. That was pretty much all she could say on the topic.

Especially at times like this.

See, Itachi was the type of person to stick with what worked best. Sakura had learned this the hard way, even if it did take her years to figure out why he was always admitted to the hospital when she was there.

But this? This just reinforced that fact.

Today had been her first day off in a _long_ time, or rather this morning had been the start of that day off and she'd decided to get as much rest as she could to recuperate completely before she found something to do – go out with a friend for a few hours or simply hang around the house and be lazy – that didn't require much energy.

Instead of getting started in that nice long nap though, a few hours after she'd gotten home – and even less time to sleep – there had been a few gentle raps on her window. She turned over, figuring it was Naruto or Kakashi refusing to use the door again. The taps came again, a little more incessant this time. She groaned and rolled back over to see what idiot was interrupting her beauty sleep – well and check the time since it still felt like she _just_ got home. The glowing green numbers read four-twenty-three AM. She fought the urge to groan and roll back over once more because it was simply to early to even be alive if she didn't have to be. And she definitely didn't have to be.

She still pushed herself up on an elbow anyway to get a good view of her window. The person on the other side of it didn't stand out, his hair was yellow or silver and his pale skin didn't seem to reflect or absorb the moonlight. But she knew those pretty – and oh so dangerous – red eyes. They belonged to one Uchiha, Itachi.

He could only be here for two reasons and both meant she wouldn't be getting back to sleep anytime soon. She briefly contemplated turning over and pretending she never saw him in the first place. But she knew better and his eyes had already locked on hers, she wasn't getting out of this one.

Sighing to herself she placed her feet on the tile wood flooring of her bedroom, flinching as the cold rushed to meet her skin. She made a mental note to get a rug so that when she did this again – like she was wont to – her feet didn't freeze. But then her groggy brain reminded her why she hadn't done it yet and that's because she would constantly be having to clean blood out of it. And that was also the same reason she never wore more than short shorts and a tank top to bed.

Damn she hated the cold.

Standing on steadying feet she ignored the cold that nipped at exposed skin and tried not shiver as she made her way to the window. Quickly unlocking and then unlatching it she pushed open, just in time for the Uchiha to literally collapse on her.

She blinked and grunted in surprise when she had to adjust her footing before she too fell under the now dead weight. Then sighing quietly again she shifted her grip on him – her arms had wrapped themselves around his shoulder on instinct – she proceeded to pick him up, one arm around his shoulders with his head propped against her forearm and her other under both knee caps with his arms crossed over his midsection. She was careful to avoid any aggravating any injuries as she made him comfortable against her hips and turned to head for her guest turned medical room. She distantly heard the splatters of liquid as his blood fell on her floor and feet and legs, as it soaked into her clothing and slide across the skin of her arms. She was thankful that she'd gotten into the habit of pulling her hair back into a loose braid before sleeping otherwise it would begin to get matted with his blood as well.

When she got to the closed door, she kicked it open with her foot and pushed it open further with her shoulder, eyes still glowed to her regular patient. It irritated her – though it was admittedly warming – that he came to her rather than the hospital. There was no excuse since the hospital was closer to the entrance of the village than her home was, and last she checked she'd never told him where she lived. Which meant he found out on his own and all of the ways that she could think of that he'd achieve that through only served to further irritate her. Stupid Uchiha.

When he was better she was going to chew him out for his stupidity and assuming she'd be okay with him knowing where she lived without asking her first.

Grumbling to herself, she set him as gently as she could on the table and proceeded to check for injuries and how bad they were. Once she had ascertained that she got the supplies she thought she'd need, pulled off the articles of clothing that were in her way and set to work.

..:Xx0o0xX:..

She woke to him staring at her. He'd propped himself up on his elbows to get a good view of her. And her? She'd pulled up a chair at some point and was hunched over the table, her head pillowed on his leg. When this fact sunk into her brain she jerk up right until she was sitting with a stick-straight ridged back as if to say 'I wasn't just sleeping on your leg' which he seemed to find amusing and seemed to find it even funnier that she glanced at his leg as discreetly as she could to make sure she hadn't drooled while she was at it. She was relieved to see that she had not.

When she turned her gaze to focus on his face, she accidently dragged it over his chest. Oops. She did her best to check herself, a shirtless Uchiha, Itachi who was no longer injured was positively jumpable.

She hated it when her nurses were right about things like this. And not for the first time she was reminded of why they fussed over the fact that she usually ended up the attending doctor of both Uchihas of the main house. Groaning inwardly she tried to tell her hormones to stuff it because she _did not_ need their two senses right now.

She tried for a professional approach, "How are you feeling?"

His expression was languid as his eyes fell half closed that amusement still apparent in the ghost of smile he was still sporting. The very sight made her mouth water, damn was he hot – no scratch that, he'd definitely broken the sexy-meter – and double damn, her hormones really needed simply shut up. They were making everything impossible. "Much better now."

Was it her or did he just purr?

Oh she hoped it was her because if he did, then she was in for a hell of a lot of trouble. Well, actually either way she was in over her head. But at least she could hide her attraction to him, if he made any interest he had in her apparent then not only was she in for one hell of a ride but she wasn't really sure she'd come out of it unscarred.

She forced herself to remain neutral – it was getting harder by the minute because he still hadn't changed his expression. And wasn't like she could look anywhere else, that would just make it worse or give her away or both. So she nodded, "That's good to hear, but I meant your injuries, Uchiha."

He tilted his head slightly, "That's what I was referring to, _medic_."

She tried not gulp, honest she did, but that lump in her throat was making it next to impossible not to.

Thankfully, she was able to look away with the excuse of retrieving her chart that she'd written up for him after she'd finished working on him. She quickly scribbled down a few things before setting it aside, this time she didn't dare to meet his gaze. "Well, I would like to check things over just in case. Please lay down."

And like that he acquiesced. Him awake and watching her was so much harder then having him unconscious and bleeding profusely. But she forced herself to be professional still, muttering 'pay attention, don't jump him, pay attention, don't jump him' over and over again in her head. It helped some. Not a lot, but enough to get her through the examination. He certainly didn't make it easy though, he was the master of making things hard, clearly. And he was enjoying himself too, she was sure.

Trying not to huff she backed up when she was done. "Alright. Everything looks good. You're free to go but you should get another check up tomorrow or the day after. Also no missions or training, just take it easy for the next few days. You had some pretty nasty wounds after all."

He sat up – still shirtless and damn was that fact killing her. Stupid hormones, stupid Uchiha – and nodded a smirk on his face. "That can be accomplished."

She was immediately wary. Uchiha, Itachi did not follow doctor's orders so easily. In fact he was one of the worst, right next to Kakashi and Naruto when it came to doing as told. So what was the catch?

He must have seen the questioning in her eyes because his lips curled upward even further. "But only if you promise to keep playing doctor."

She nearly fainted from overload.

Stupid Uchiha.


	16. 35 Emergency: Surprise

**Title:** Moments in Time: A Close Up

**Author:** AppleL0V3R

**Beta-reader:** Terror-Of-The-Crimson-Night

**Fandom:** Naruto

**Pairing:** Uchiha, Itachi and Haruno, Sakura

**Chapter:** Sixteen – #35 Emergency: Surprise

**Rating:** T

**Type:** One-shot – Complete

**Summary:** Prompts from Moments in Time that I was requested to expand on. 16. 35 – Emergency: Surprise. She was the master of throwing curve balls. Yet it was the straight ones that always got him.

**Word Count:** 2,240

**Disclaimer:** If you've heard of it before, then it's obviously not mine. (Nor do I own the FBI or the CIA or have anything to do with them for that matter; I've simply watched a little too much Criminal Minds, NCIS and CSI)

**Note:** As the summary states these were skits I was asked to turn into actually works. I will always put which one it was and the skit just before the chapter. They won't be in numerical order because I'm doing them as I'm requested. They won't be any more than one-shots though they may become two to five –shots (I will forewarn when that happens) but they won't become stories unless I choose to.

**Request by:** child of a fallen angel and Anime Freak456

..:Xx0o0xX:..

35. Emergency (Itachi)

Itachi had always been one to plan ahead, leaving no room for failure. Or a state of emergency. And then he met her. She never completely planned things, there was always something unexpected happening to her. Hectic. And for once he was glad of his organizational ability.

One of the biggest things that he learned from her was that planning only went so far. Life throws in unseen bumps along the way all the time. Some are good. Some aren't. And some are emergencies no matter what.

Like this.

"You're pregnant?"

She smiled excitedly. "Isn't it great?"

He nodded, knowing he should have expected it. He'd married the woman who taught him that nothing always went according to plan and that surprises happened, after all.

..:Xx0o0xX:..

Sifting deftly through the files he easily found the place that this particular document went. When he was done he turned his gaze back to his desk, allowing them to give it a once over. Everything was neatly in a place, easily accessible and he was done for the night. Most people in his position would work well into the night – mid morning even – and still not finish everything, and while he would admit it was late, he had completed everything. So he pushed back in the comfortable swivel chair and stood. Quickly he had his necessary things and was out the door not even pausing to do a final sweep to make sure everything was done. He simply knew it was.

This was how most of his days ended. He liked organization because in his fast paced, life the order and control he could exert over it he did to the limits.

As a criminal profiler – and chief of the unit – it was a good skill set to have, he'd learned. Especially when he met the woman who would be his wife to this day. Their kick off had been clichéd and fairy tale like in a way, if that way consisted of a twistedness to the extreme.

It'd been a long time ago, but he'd been the chief of his unit at that time too. And her? She was an ME from a different jurisdiction. A jurisdiction he'd had more than a few problems with and he'd met her because he'd taken an action he'd known would piss off the other party but not necessarily do any damage.

_Five years ago_

_CIA basement, morgue_

_Haruno, Sakura hummed to herself as she moved about the morgue, completely at ease in the place. Though she'd always prefer the living over the dead, cadavers had long stopped freaking her out. Well, most of the time, but that was a whole other story all together. _

_And right now she had a particularly vexing case. Figuring out how this guy dead was going to be only half the battle and the other half would be proving it was a homicide. And of course there's the factor jurisdiction. She loved her job, she really did but sometimes the political factor of it could be more than a little irking, especially in cases like this. In which the CIA and FBI were both fighting for rights to the case on this one. And if her brother had informed her right, the profiling team should be here – she glanced at the clock – within the hour. _

_Not that it was any consequence to her. She was just the ME who helped figure out what happened to make the deceased that way. So she really shouldn't have to worry about jurisdiction. But knowing her superiors and co-workers, they were going to make it her problem. Like they usually did. Whatever. _

_Pushing those thoughts aside she finished setting up her station and unzipped the black body bag that the corpse had been brought in. What used to be white skin was pasty and a pinkish bluish color, like they all usually were. The body was a male with light brown hair, an average build and used to be pretty fit if she still had the ability to call it on sight. She'd guess he was in his late twenties to early thirties, average weight and about 6'2'' in height. _

_Without pausing she started in on her usual pattern when dealing with a body that it wasn't easy to tell cause of death by. Her mind strayed to a t.v. show she'd watched as a kid and even most of her teenage years. It was kind of amusing how much her job was similar to the ME's on that show as well. The show of course, being NCIS and she couldn't help but giggle at the reminder of how the medical examiner – Doctor Mallard or simply Ducky as his team called him – had a tendency to talk to the people he was autopsying. She almost had the urge to do the same._

_And decided that she was alone – she refused to have any help, not only did they usually get in her way, they usually irritated her as well. And, like Abby, she didn't have the best track record with a help either – and what the hell. Why not talk to the guy? It wasn't like he'd talk back and her team already knew she was some part insane, not clinically of course, but what was the difference in her profession? _

_Before she could say anything, she heard the sound of the sliding glass door as it opened, indicating that someone was entering her personal work space. She didn't glance up though, if they wanted her attention they could talk first. Besides she had work to do any way, considering she'd already started cutting into the body._

"_Do you know a cause of death?"_

_She didn't recognize the male voice and assumed he was one of the FBI profiler guys that were supposed to be here soon. Guess they liked showing up on time. She still didn't even glance at him as she shook her head. "I just started, when I know something I promise I won't keep it to myself."_

_She felt an intense gaze directed at her, burning into her almost but the man didn't say anything else, so she assumed he'd merely nodded. But she didn't hear the door again, or even foot steps. So finally she glanced up, a man no more than a few years older than her with upper back length hair pulled back in a pony tail at the nape of his neck and pretty black eyes stood before her. He was in a formal black suit as he stood straight, like stick straight. But he had a look of pure curiosity on his face. _

_And she immediately got a bad feeling about this whole situation. But pushing it aside she cocked her head, "Is there anything else?"_

_He looked about ready to shake his head but then decided against, "What do you think happened?"_

_She blinked and glanced down at the corpse. "Well, I'd guess it was death by asphyxiation, possibly drowned, the body shows all the signs for it." And so she started in with him listening intently. It was nice considering her own team – especially her team leader – didn't want to hear all the details and conclusions, but this guy did. And as intimidating as he seems, they guy gives off a well mannered, I just want answer sort of nature. He didn't interrupt, merely nodded in appropriate places or stated conclusions when she left sentences hanging. _

_When she was done, she looked him straight in the eye. "What's your name? I'm Haruno, Sakura, the ME of the CIA."_

"_SSA Uchiha, Itachi with the BAU of the FBI." _

_She smiled, talk about alphabet soup. And then she froze. "Wait, did you just say _Uchiha_, Itachi?" He nodded and she paled, "As in my team leader, Uchiha, Sasuke's elder brother?" Again he nodded looking both interested and vaguely amused. She pushed any reaction to that aside for later, right then all she could think about was the fact that her boss was _soooo_ going to kill her._

_And she'd been right about that bad feeling._

Present Day

Uchiha Residence of Itachi and Sakura

Of course what had followed that first meeting was bunch of chaos, but in the end he'd managed to get his heart stolen by the little vixen. It had however been replaced with hers, and so within a year they'd started dating and with almost another year they were married.

Married for three years and things were still hectic between them, what with the both of them having demanding jobs. Though, neither one had been forced to relocate. Well, she had moved in with him during the time they'd started dating and though she had to drive almost an hour and a half south and his job was forty five minutes north, it hadn't been a problem in the least. But on the positive side of having chaotic lives, it meant things were always interesting – and usually entertaining – between the two of them.

Of course she could do a little better to work on her organization skills. There was at least one surprise a day in her schedule, in fact it didn't seem complete without a surprise. And by association, that had infected his daily life as well. He didn't particularly mind because though some of them he really could have done without, most of the time the were nice, pleasant and most of the time amusing. Even when his petite wife didn't think so.

But he definitely did not expect the surprise when he'd got home at nearly midnight that day.

When he got him she was setting on the couch, her feet propped on the coffee table, and she was fiddling with a pin, a small book in her hand. She was playing a logic game again; those were her favorite after all. She was in her pajamas which consisted of flannel slacks and loose tank top, and her long pink hair was pulled up in a messy bun with locks of hair framing her face and resting on her shoulders. She looked up open his entrance, smiling that angelic smile of hers. He smiled back, nodding to her as she stood and quickly came to his side.

Leaning down he kissed her, long and slow, allowing all the stress of the day fade to the background.

When he pulled away she was grinning, it made him wary – grins at midnight and Sakura never boded well for him as he'd learned the hard way. "Hello, Sakura."

Her eyes were lit up and she looked like she was barely holding something back. "Welcome home."

He rolled his eyes at her antics. "What is it, Sakura."

"No, no. You have to guess, Itachi."

He shook his head, used to her doing this to him every once in a while. "It's good news."

She bobbed her head.

"For the both of us."

Again she nodded energetically. She was getting bouncier by the moment and he knew that if he kept stalling she'd finally burst and simply tell him.

He paused as if trying to think for a long moment. "Our anniversary was last month."

She sighed, "Your stalling, Itachi! If you don't want to guess just say so."

He knew that tone, so he nodded with exasperation, "Alright, what is it?"

The grin was back and bigger than ever, it seemed to split her face in half with her joy. Not for the first time he thought about how breathtakingly beautiful she was like this, alight with joy so evident it was even sinking into his own emotions.

"I'm pregnant." He almost hadn't been able to make the words out between her bouncy squealing.

He blinked, "You're pregnant?" Just for verification, he didn't want to have misheard her. Not about something like this.

She smiled excitedly. "Isn't it great?" Her arms tightened around his neck as she shifted her weight from foot to foot.

He nodded, knowing he should have expected it. He'd married the woman who taught him that nothing always went according to plan and that surprises happened, after all.

So, he opted to smile and kiss her again.

"Then it's time for another adventure."


	17. 23 Date: Courtship

**Title:** Moments in Time: A Close Up

**Author:** AppleL0V3R

**Beta-reader:** Terror-Of-The-Crimson-Night

**Fandom:** Naruto

**Pairing:** Uchiha, Itachi and Haruno, Sakura

**Chapter:** Seventeen – #23 Date: Courtship

**Rating:** T

**Type:** One-shot – Complete

**Summary:** Prompts from Moments in Time that I was requested to expand on. 17. 23 – Date: Courtship. He hadn't known quite what to think of the fact that she said no when he asked her to marry him.

**Word Count:** 3,095

**Disclaimer:** If you've heard of it before, then it's obviously not mine.

**Note:** As the summary states these were skits I was asked to turn into actually works. I will always put which one it was and the skit just before the chapter. They won't be in numerical order because I'm doing them as I'm requested. They won't be any more than one-shots though they may become two to five –shots (I will forewarn when that happens) but they won't become stories unless I choose to.

**Request by:** Fuai and Anime Freak456

..:Xx0o0xX:..

23. Date (Itachi)

As the Uchiha clan heir, Itachi was well aware how marriages and potential life partner picking worked. Someone he didn't mind, someone submissive and supportive. It had seemed logical as a teenager. But as he watched his pink haired teammate joke with the other members of ANBU team thirteen, he realized it wasn't quite right. She didn't fit the standards he'd been advised and there was a good chance the clan would fight him on such a decision, but he found he didn't care.

No, what he cared about was that she'd declined his offer at marriage.

Her green eyes had twinkled, "Dating first, Itachi. But I can't any time soon, sorry."

He hadn't known what to think of it as their team snickered loudly.

..:Xx0o0xX:..

Sakura sighed. She tried to make it inaudible or quiet at the very least but she knew the look she was giving the blonde woman made it unnecessary to try. "Ino. How many times have I told you that I'm perfectly happy being single?"

"You mean without a love life to speak of. At all. A lot of times, but Sakura you have no idea what your missing. Having a boy to love and pamper you is the best way to go through life."

"So says the woman who hasn't gone a single day without a boyfriend to treat you like a queen since…when? Years? I simply don't have the time to even try making time for a guy right now. I have work and friends and family and I simply can't throw a boyfriend into the mix."

The blonde haired konuichi snorted. "I've found the time."

Sakura gave her a pointed look, "_You_ don't have someone calling your name and interrupting you ever five minutes."

"It's been twenty since I entered." She stated with a victorious smile.

The rosette merely raised an eyebrow. "And thus my point proven."

Ino frowned, "How? I just proved your point wrong, Forehead. Are you hard of hearing again?"

She sighed again. "No. Ino, I'm not. And I told you, that time wasn't exactly my fault. What I meant is that you've been bothering my continually for the past twenty minutes. Not even a second to myself even though I have paperwork to do."

Blue eyes blinked and then narrowed, "You know what? Just for that comment, I'll make sure you don't get anything done today." And she deliberately sat on the young Haruno's coffee table where she'd been reading over a file. Which Ino had sat right on top of.

The green eyed woman tried not to sigh for the third time in as many minutes. Instead she settled for growling at the insistent female, "Ino."

And she was waved off, "It's your day off anyway. What are you doing working on a vacation day?"

Setting her mouth in a firm line she looked her best friend since childhood square in the eye, "It's paperwork that Tsunade neglected to give me until last night and it is do tomorrow. So for the last time, my dear sister, I have a lot of work to get done, little time to do it." Dear sister was an affection term she added on when she wanted Ino to know she was irritated by the woman and would appreciate her stopping while she was ahead.

"That's why you don't have a boyfriend, _sister dear_, you immerse yourself so deeply in work that it becomes a perfect excuse for not playing any. All work and no play makes for a boring day." And Ino tended to respond with sister dear to inform Sakura that she frankly didn't give a damn.

"All play and no work guarantees nothing getting done."

Blue eyes rolled with exasperation, "Then compromise. Half work, half play."

Pink locks rustled when the head they were connected to shook from side to side, "I have too much work on a daily basis to be able to agree to that."

Ino pursed her lips, "Fine, seventy-thirty in favor work, and before you counter I'm not going any lower than that because that's already too much working as is." She paused and a wicked glint was back in her eyes, "So how about you take some time out of your day." She sharpened her eyes warningly when Sakura opened her mouth to protest, "Only a few hours, nothing more than the time you would take to train and eat lunch with those brats you call teammates."

This time it was Sakura who paused, thinking the idea over. She didn't miss how her heart's sister's eyes started to take on a triumphant look and she was tempted to flat out decline simply to make it go away. But she had to admit, a little time to herself for the first time in weeks that didn't consist of only sleep or grooming did sound nice. Though curling up with a book and coffee sounded the most ideal she knew that's not what Ino had planned. Still, she wouldn't mind something like shopping or getting some food with Ino. Finally coming to a decision she met the other woman's pretty eyes still full of gleam and victory, "Alright." The victory increased almost tenfold. "But, I will not agree to any blind dates or anything of that nature. I will however be more than happy to go shopping with you."

Ino scowled at having been caught but it was quickly dismissed when she heard Sakura agree to shopping. Sakura, the girl who got herself bloody as part of both her professions and didn't give a damn what she looked like. So with a soundless sigh she allowed the fact of her best friend having no love life to speak of remain that way for a little longer in favor of the prospect of a girl day with her first best friend. So she nodded a grin finding a way to her face because in essence she had partially gotten what she wanted, "Then what are we waiting for?"

The older of the two shook her head, eyes bespeaking her amusement at the blonde's antics, "Me to get ready, I suppose."

..:Xx0o0xX:..

He easily kept pace with his mother as she weaved through the crowd, still browsing for groceries. He didn't understand why she felt the need to drag him along – why not take Sasuke? – but she did and so here he was, trailing after her again. Her excuse was that she wanted some time to spend with her son and having help carrying things was just an added bonus. Typical, that was how Uchiha, Mikoto operated, he knew. Sasuke had more than once called him a mama's boy, and on one occasion it had been in front of their mother. She'd grinned at the comment but still assured Sasuke that he was her baby and that she loved him oh-so-much. The whole thing had ended with Itachi smirking at his brother's expense, their father shaking his head at his family's antics, their mother grinning and Sasuke wouldn't touch the subject for years to come.

Remembering it now made him almost smirk, but he kept his face carefully neutral. If Mikoto caught sight of any displayed emotion she wouldn't let it slide with out pestering and poking at him. He loved his mother to death but when she wasn't serious she was usually either motherly or acting like a teenager. It was her way of dealing with the stress of the elders and not to mention the fact that it tended to make the atmosphere at home a lot more uplifting – especially was such a serious father. Besides Mikoto, Itachi could only think of one other Uchiha who was so carefree and expressive and that was his best friend and cousin, Shisui. He had met Obito once; Naruto was following him exactly even though the clan heir was fairly certain the blonde didn't even know of the other's existence.

He allowed his gaze to wander from his mother's back, though he did keep her in his peripheral vision. She would get lost if he didn't, that was a quirk she'd had for as long as he'd known her though how not even his little brother knew of it, he didn't know. Fugaku did, he knew, and it had been the subject of a conversation between the two at least once. His eyes skimmed leisurely over familiar and unknown faces alike, not really pausing on any one person. Well, not until they landed on her. She was browsing as well, just another isle over. Her long pink hair was pulled back in a haphazard pony tail and she was wearing some black slacks with a red tank top. If he didn't already know, he'd be able to tell that just by her apparel she had today off and was using it to get some chores done.

Without thinking about it he tapped his mother on the shoulder. She paused and looked back, "Yes, Itachi?"

He gestured to the girl who'd caught his eye. "I'll be right back."

Mikoto stared at him, glanced at the rosette and then focused her gaze on him once more. Her pretty black eyes lit up and she nodded, she'd question him endlessly later he was sure but right now he needed to speak with his teammate.

So, handing her the few things she had managed to accumulate, he weaved through the crowd until he was at Sakura's side.

She didn't even glance at him when he stopped beside her, so close that their upper arms brushed when she picked up something for them shelf. "Hey, Taishou."

He nodded evenly, "We have a mission the day after tomorrow, five AM at the village gates."

Now she nodded, "Got it."

He was silent for a moment. Apparently to long a moment because she sighed and put the object back where she found it before turning to him with expectant eyes. She was probably the only one who could get away with that, because not even his mother could anymore. "So what did you really want to say?"

Again he was quiet, his quick mind putting the words together as best he could. "When we got back from our mission three days ago…"

Recognition brightened her pretty green eyes. "You want me to elaborate on my answer."

_Three Days Ago; In the Morning_

_Konoha Village Gates_

_ANBU team three had just returned from their mission, it wasn't particularly hard but it had been at least two months since any of them had been within Konoha's boarders. It was nice to be home, especially after being near Kumo for so long. _

_Shisui stretched, a wide smile on his face as he removed his mask, "It's great to be back."_

_Sakura nodded in agreement, humming as she, too, pushed her mask off her face._

_Hana grinned as well, "No kidding, home sweet home. I can't wait to see my dogs." The wolf beside her gave a gruff sound that was clearly one of agreement. _

_Personally, Itachi hadn't been all that bothered to be gone for so long, especially since he'd spent pretty much all of it with Sakura beside him. "Alright, go home, get some rest. I will see to the report though I expect you each to contribute your part to it."_

_All three nodded to their long time captain. "Yes sir."_

_He was about to wave them off before a thought occurred to him. It was something he'd been meaning to ask the youngest of the group. "Sakura." He'd already forgotten that Shisui and Hana were there and suddenly very attentive._

_She smiled, "Taichou?"_

_He didn't see any reason to say this other than bluntly. "Will you be my wife?"_

_Green eyes blinked and then blinked again. She seemed taken very much off guard. Two jaws had dropped from their audience, but were ignored. "Wife? As in, you want me to marry you?"_

_He nodded, not really understanding what was so out of place about such a comment. Marriage was a natural thing, and required out of an heir. He'd been granted the choice of choosing his own and he had picked her. He thought he'd made it clear to her, but apparently not. _

_Hana barked out an unladylike laugh and Shisui shook his head._

_Sakura however stayed quiet for a few moments, as if the situation simply wasn't computing. "I…" She paused and he tilted his head. "Sir, I don't even know where to start with a question like that."_

_He frowned, "A simply 'yes' would suffice."_

_Again she blinked as if that answer hadn't been obvious to her. But she took a deep breath and walked toward him, stopping only when she was barely a few inches away from him. "Um, that's not what I meant."_

"_Then what do you mean?"_

_She wasn't looking him the eye. He considered briefly that there was the possibility he'd just offended her. But Sakura was the easy going type, sure she had a sharp temper, but he'd felt certain that a question like this couldn't spark it. When she finally did tilt her head upward to lock gazes with him, he found himself proven right. There wasn't a speck of anger or indignation, not even irritation in her gaze. In fact her eyes were twinkling in a way that sent warning bells off in his mind. _

"_I mean dating first, Itachi. But I can't any time soon, sorry."_

_He hadn't known what to think of it as their team fell against each other with loud laughter.. _

Present Day

Central Market of Konoha

He nodded. "What did you mean?"

"I told you what I meant." She countered evasively. Black eyes narrowed a fraction.

He shook his head, "No you said 'dating first', that's not what you meant though."

She crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. Another expectant action that no one else would dare to try any more. At least outside of his immediate family. "Oh, and what makes you think that?"

He watched her with analytical eyes for a moment before answering. "You also said that you didn't even know where to start, indicating more than one variable."

She sighed, "Fine, yes, there was, but honestly Itachi, even if I did tell you it's not like you can just twist things to have your way."

He intensified his gaze and refused to budge.

This time she rolled her too big, doe-like eyes and pursed her lips, "You can't just ask someone out of the blue 'will you marry me?' I realize that your fan girls do it all the time but that's not how it works. There is an entire process before that step. And for a good reason, too."

"And what reason is that?"

"What if we're not compatible?"

He was the one to raise an eyebrow this time.

"Outside of work."

"That can be just as easily figured out in marriage as it can in courtship. Any thing else?"

"What if whatever you think is between us really isn't?"

"It is."

She rolled her eyes and improvised, "Okay, what if I don't have feelings for you like that?"

"Another thing that can be rectified without the necessity of courtship."

She was beginning to look irritated. "I don't know anything about you."

"That isn't true and if you want to learn more than I'm more than welling to acquiesce."

She nearly growled, "Look. I told you that I couldn't even date any time soon, what makes you think I'm going to jump right into marriage?"

He tilted his head, making sure he kept her gaze. "And why can't you?"

She let out a small strangled sound of frustration. "Because, I'm not _looking_ for a relationship like that."

"You make time for your teammates."

"That's different, Itachi. Naruto, Sasuke and I have known each other for a long time and before you say it, yes Ino counts as well."

"So? I've known you nearly as long."

"Not like them."

He knew he should stop while he was ahead, but this was beginning to get quite amusing and he simply had no intention of relinquishing the idea of her as his life partner. "I would hope you don't know them like I want to get to know you."

This time she didn't bother to cover up the sound. She took a deep breath as her eyes flashed; she was trying to control her temper. "You know what? If you're so bent on marrying me, do it the old fashioned way. Court me – and I don't mean for just a week or a month or even a few months, I mean at least six months, if we get that far – and _then_ will see about marriage. Deal?"

He nodded, "Deal." Knowing that she'd just sealed her fate.

Before he could say or do anything more she stated with wry tone, "And I think, the best place to start would be asking me out."

He paused, considering that for a moment. "Well you be my girlfriend?"

She smiled and nodded. "I would love to."

Smothering the feeling of exasperation at her antics he continued on. "Are you doing anything later today?"

She blinked and finally shook her head. "Then I will pick you up at seven."

And then he leaned forward and lightly let his lips brush hers. When he leaned back, he enjoyed the look on her countenance for a moment before bidding her a quiet farewell and turned to go and find his mother.


	18. 34 Buy: Guitar

**Title:** Moments in Time: A Close Up

**Author:** AppleL0V3R

**Beta-reader:** Terror-Of-The-Crimson-Night

**Fandom:** Naruto

**Pairing:** Uchiha, Itachi and Haruno, Sakura

**Chapter:** Eighteen – #34 Buy: Guitar

**Rating:** T

**Type:** One-shot – Complete

**Summary:** Prompts from Moments in Time that I was requested to expand on. 18. 34 – Buy: Guitar. How did shopping for a gift turn into being interested in a stranger?

**Word Count:** 2,285

**Disclaimer:** If you've heard of it before, then it's obviously not mine.

**Note:** As the summary states these were skits I was asked to turn into actually works. I will always put which one it was and the skit just before the chapter. They won't be in numerical order because I'm doing them as I'm requested. They won't be any more than one-shots though they may become two to five –shots (I will forewarn when that happens) but they won't become stories unless I choose to.

Also, I claim to know nothing about guitars. I have one, yes, but I don't know anything and I actually looked everything up online so if I got anything wrong please tell me so I can fix it. Also, I do realize there is a huge range and the nice salesman(woman) will usually tell you the price and deals, I however didn't put that in here for no viable reason other than I didn't want to. So yeah, please excuse that blunder on my part.

**Request by:** Fuai

..:Xx0o0xX:..

34. Buy (Sakura)

"Can I help you, Sir?"

He seemed about to say no before nodding. Clueless. He was probably here because somebody else asked him to get something, or it was an event of some sort. Whatever it was, he was clearly out of his element.

"Are you looking for something in particular?" She hated playing the guessing game, why couldn't they just come up to her, ask the question and be done with it?

Again he nodded. "A guitar." She blinked. It was a music store; they had a whole wall of guitars.

"Anything in particular?" He was quiet. "Design, make, type?" She continued on in hopes of an answer of some kind.

"I'm not sure. Does it matter?"

Thanks. So much for an easy Sunday afternoon.

..:Xx0o0xX:..

Sakura liked her job, in fact she loved it. It wasn't much and it certainly wasn't something to sustain oneself on but it provided a steady income and some fun. She was a college student living in the dorms and trying to get through with top grades. But school is another matter completely.

Haruno, Sakura works at a music store. Not a big or well known one, but one that had a lot of instruments anywhere from orchestra types to band types. She herself even played a few. At any rate, it was nice, her boss was great and this was something of a safe haven for her. So, she loved her job.

She just didn't like working on Sundays. Nothing against Sunday itself, it was simply the day right before she had to go back to college for another week and this was usually her day to sleep and make sure she was caught up and even ahead of where she needed to be and working simply made that hard. But at the same time Saturdays and Sundays were the only days her boss could schedule her a full eight hours. Thankfully the latter was usually nixed, her boss being nice enough to accommodate to Sakura's hectic life, but every now and again one of the other employees couldn't work and so Sakura had to.

Today was one of those days. And unfortunately for her she had a lot of homework that she still needed to get to, some errands to run and business pretty much dead. All in all, today simply was not her day. But she suppose it could be a whole hell of a lot worse, without missing a beat she rapped her knuckles on the wood of a piano twice. It was a habit she'd picked up a long time ago, and though she didn't really believe in luck she still did it just encase. She'd gotten the habit from teasing her best friend, Ino, so much, the blonde was as superstitious any could possibly be. Believing in every single myth she came across, but then again, the young woman was a mythology and psychology major who minored in criminology and the occult.

Comparatively the two females had pretty bogged down schedules, but since they both kept up pretty well they'd never thought much of all the course work. Sakura was majoring in cardiology and psychology with a minor in chemistry and physics.

But that was a whole different subject. It was also why she loved her job. It helped her unwind and just be herself, be in tuned with her inner self. That and it was a way to get by for now.

She tapped her recently redone nails – green with a silver glitter overcoat – against the instrument she was leaning on. She didn't feel like being behind the counter and since there was absolutely no one else in the store she didn't see why she couldn't find a way to entertain herself. Besides, her boss didn't mind so long as she still got her job done efficiently and to the best of her abilities. And honestly, how did playing an instrument when no one else was present affect her job performance?

She quickly stood to her full height when she heard the jingle of the door bell signaling a customer. She easily returned to the seat behind the counter, trying to look busy, but not too busy. Most of the people who came in here knew what they were looking for or wanted usually and so she figured if this person didn't, they would simply ask her some questions. Besides she could probably skate on writing that thesis paper she still hadn't gotten around to and pass it off as actual work.

With that thought in mind, she tugged out some lined college rule paper and pencil, thankfully in the past hour she'd been able to brain storm a rough outline of what she was going to write. She set the writing utencil to the page but before she began writing she looked up. Making sure the customer was fine came first.

A tall man at least head and shoulders taller than her was staring blankly around, he seemed awkward with his stiff posture as his gaze flickered around the store. It was as if he'd walked into the music store on accident and was trying to figure out why he had.

She placed a smile on her lips and stood, she skirted the glass counter and toyed with the pencil she hadn't set down as she approached him. "Can I help you, Sir?"

He seemed about to say no before nodding. Clueless. He was probably here because somebody else asked him to get something, or it was an event of some sort. Whatever it was, he was clearly out of his element.

"Are you looking for something in particular?" She hated playing the guessing game, why couldn't they just come up to her, ask the question and be done with it?

Again he nodded. "A guitar." She blinked. It was a music store; they had a whole wall of guitars.

"Anything in particular?" He was quiet. "Design, make, type?" She continued on in hopes of an answer of some kind.

"I'm not sure. Does it matter?"

Thanks, she thought to herself sourly. And then she sighed mentally, so much for an easy Sunday afternoon. Did she already mention that she didn't like Sundays? Cause she did and they suck. But pushing those thoughts aside she nodded, "Well yes and no. There are bass guitars, electric guitars as well acoustic guitars. The design doesn't really matter, it's just more of a personalization if you want or you can have a standard one. You can also have one made of wood or steel. And so and so forth."

He just stared at her unblinkingly. Like either what she had said didn't compute or simply didn't matter to him. Getting slightly irritated she tried for a different approach. "What's it for?"

He paused, "My little brother has wanted to learn guitar; I didn't think it would be of much consequence to get him started."

She nodded grateful that they were finally getting somewhere. "Great. So then we should start with a more beginner type of guitar. Do you think he'd like bass or electric better?"

"…I don't know anything about guitars."

She'd figured that but he was a customer and so she didn't comment, only nodded politely. "Well, I personally started on bass, I found it a lot easier."

Black eyes bore into her. "Bass then."

Again she nodded acquiescingly and gestured for him to follower her over to that section of the guitars. "Do you think he'd like a plain guitar – just a standard light brown wooden one or do you think he'd like a design?"

"Standard."

Nodding she retrieved one, stuffing the writing utensil into a pocket where it wouldn't be in her way. "Is that all you want? You said he's wanted to learn, does he need some books or a teacher or anything?"

He looked surprised at the question, seeming to think it over. Finally he nodded. "Some books would be good. I don't think he'll need a teacher though, if he does I will most certainly come back."

She grinned. "Alright, sounds great." She grabbed a few select books – ones that had helped her get started as well. She worked here because as a kid she was always hanging around and her boss liked her enough to get her started. At the time she was learning violin. She still loved it very much, playing it when she had time, but she also played piano, flute and most types of guitar. She still intended to learn more but with college so demanding right now all she had the time for was to use the instruments she did know to unwind and relax.

She then proceeded to lead him to the counter, placing everything down. She paused, "Would you also like to get a guitar case and/or a strap?" almost as an after thought she added, "And some picks?"

Again he seemed to debate with himself before he nodded. So getting up she went to go and find a nice black case and a matching strap as well as a small container with ten different guitar picks in it. Returning with them she placed them with everything else. Then tugging out the pencil and placed her fingers on the keyboard on home row. Pulling up the necessary screen and started in on the standard questions. "Have you shopped with us before?"

He shook his head.

"Would you like a discount card?"

Again he shook his head before she could explain what that would entail. She nodded all the same. "Can I have your name?"

"Uchiha, Itachi."

Itachi. Interesting name. She entered it into the proper boxes. "And a phone number?"

He told her.

Nodding again she entered the information once again. And then she totaled everything up. "Mmkay, that'll be…¥14,204 please."

He pulled out a wallet from his back pocket then proceeded to pull out a card and hand it to her; she easily ran it through the scanner and got a receipt as well as a copy. "Alright, sign this please and can you show some identification?"

Just as easily as he had the credit card, he pulled out his ID and proceeded to sign the receipt. When he was done he grabbed the customer copy of the receipt, his ID and card to place them in their proper places in his wallet before that too to it's place on his person. She stowed away her copy of the receipt as well and easily put everything together so it would take up too much room. "Would you like any bags?"

Again he nodded – to be honest she getting kinda irritated with his constant silence but figured it was his choice how much he spoke and it wasn't her problem so she pushed aside any feelings towards it – and she placed the smaller items like the books and package of picks into a bag so that he only needed to carry the case and the plastic bag.

"Have a good day; I hope you come back if you need anything." She told him with a bright smile.

And yet another nod, "Thank you and I will." And she was already thinking of getting to that paper she wanted to write since the store would be empty once more. But her attention returned to him when she felt his gaze heavy on her person, he spoke before she could even open her mouth, "What is your name?"

She blinked in surprise. It was odd to say the least to have a customer act this way, especially after purchase. "Haruno, Sakura. It was nice to meet you."

He didn't nod this time, in fact he set his things down by the counter that he still hadn't moved away from. He even leaned against it, holding out a hand. She fought the urge to furrow her brow at him or hesitate, and instead grasped his outstretched him, giving it a firm shake. He returned it with a firm squeeze. "It was very nice to meet you, Sakura. I look forward to seeing you again."

And he was gone.

She stared for a long moment unable to figure out what the _hell_ that had been about.


	19. 39 Jargon: Language

**Title:** Moments in Time: A Close Up

**Author:** AppleL0V3R

**Beta-reader:** Terror-Of-The-Crimson-Night

**Fandom:** Naruto

**Pairing:** Uchiha, Itachi and Haruno, Sakura

**Chapter:** Nineteen – #39 Jargon: Language

**Rating:** T

**Type:** One-shot – Complete

**Summary:** Prompts from Moments in Time that I was requested to expand on. 19. 39 – Jargon: Language. Itachi knew people found him impossible to deal with, but she was different. She understood.

**Word Count:** 1,430

**Disclaimer:** If you've heard of it before, then it's obviously not mine.

**Note:** As the summary states these were skits I was asked to turn into actually works. I will always put which one it was and the skit just before the chapter. They won't be in numerical order because I'm doing them as I'm requested. They won't be any more than one-shots though they may become two to five –shots (I will forewarn when that happens) but they won't become stories unless I choose to.

My apologies if this doesn't seem as good as my previous chapters, I simply could not get it to work for me. Perhaps if I come back to it later I will be able to expand upon it without filling like it's forced. So again, sorry, but for now this is the best it's going to be.

**Request by:** Fuai and Anime Freak456

..:Xx0o0xX:..

39. Jargon (Itachi)

"What the hell is a jargon?" Naruto asked baffled as the three helped each other with their school project in Sasuke's dinning room. "A dragon?"

Sasuke didn't miss a beat "That's a J not D, idiot."

"I know how it's spelled Teme!"

"Guys." Sakura cut in, "Naruto, it is a language specifically for a subject. Say computer programming."

"Oh. So we have to make up our own jargon?"

"That's what the assignment says." Sasuke intoned.

Itachi, who'd been listening as he found something to eat, smirked. He remembered that assignment. It wasn't particularly challenging, but it was what had sparked the beginnings of the relation he had now with the rosette.

Said girl looked over her shoulder and smiled, "Hey, 'Tachi. Any tips?"

He merely started back for his room though, chuckling.

"What was that about?"

Sakura giggled. "Trust me, you don't want to know."

..:Xx0o0xX:..

Sakura and Naruto didn't even bother to knock as they entered the big home – it was more like a mansion really – that belonged to their long time friend, Sasuke. The three of them have an assignment for English and had decided to work together. And since they usually hang out together on Saturdays they'd designated it one of the days they'd work on the project for.

"I'm home!" Naruto shouted into the foyer, like he did every time as the two of them took off their shoes.

She headed straight for the dinning room because that was where Sasuke was bound to be, he was old fashioned in the sense that he liked to homework at the dinner table. He didn't even glance up at them when they walked in on him on his laptop.

Sakura rolled her eyes when she got close enough to see that he was playing a game. Naruto snorted though, "You're still hooked on that game?"

Black eyes stayed on the screen, "Shut up, it's your fault anyway."

"How?"

"You introduced me to it."

The blonde muttered a 'whatever' as Sakura settled into the seat directly to Sasuke's right. The only one still standing went to go raid the kitchen which was in full view of anyway sitting on this side of the table.

"Mmkay, Sasuke, put down the game so we can get to the assignment."

His fingers kept moving across the keyboard, "I will when we have somewhere to start."

She rolled her eyes again, used to finding loopholes because of his statements, though one would think he'd catch himself before he says them. "Which leads us back to 'put down the game, Sasuke.'"

His black eyes still didn't wonder from the screen, "How so?"

"Because somewhere is general enough that 'starting somewhere' can be interpreted as brainstorming."

He opened his mouth and then paused before finally glancing at her with an irritated expression. She smiled in response as he disengaged from the game and closed the laptop and placing it back in it's case.

By then Naruto had returned with the snacks, "Alright! Let's get started, the sooner we get this done the less we have to worry about."

Sakura and Sasuke responded in unison as they stated in dry tones, "The less _you_ have to worry about."

The blonde waved a tan colored hand, "Details." This earned a laugh and a shake of the head respectively. Though when Sakura grabbed her papers as well as a few blank college rule ones, she saw Itachi enter the kitchen, she smiled at him when their eyes met and he smirked back.

She read the intro out loud to start them off, like she usually did.

"What the hell is a jargon?" Naruto asked baffled after reading the assignment over. "A dragon?"

Sasuke didn't miss a beat, "That's a J not D, idiot."

"I know how it's spelled Teme!"

"Guys." Sakura cut in, "Naruto, it is a language specifically for a subject. Say computer programming."

"Oh. So we have to make up our own jargon?"

"That's what the assignment says." Sasuke intoned.

Itachi, who'd been listening as he found something to eat, smirked. He remembered that assignment. It wasn't particularly challenging, but it was what had sparked the beginnings of the relation he had now with the rosette.

Said girl looked over her shoulder and smiled, "Hey, 'Tachi. Any tips?"

He merely started back for his room though, chuckling.

"What was that about?"

Sakura giggled. "Trust me, you don't want to know."

Naruto leaned over the table and Sasuke pinned her with an intense stare, "I'm sure we do."

"Yeah? And why is that?"

"Because."

"Because is not a reason, Dobe."

"Hey! Don't call me Dobe, Teme!"

"Then don't call me Teme and we wouldn't have such a problem, now would we." Sasuke paused and then his eyes glinted, "Dobe."

She rolled her pretty green eyes and chose that moment to slip away from the two of them. They could fight like that for hours if they wanted to and wouldn't even notice that she was gone. Which meant this was the perfect opportunity to go bother Itachi.

She grabbed an Arizona Iced Tea out of the fridge happy that Itachi made sure there was always some in the Uchiha's kitchen and made her way to Itachi's room. She could walk this path blindfolded if she wanted to with how well she knew the way. She had after all spent countless hours in his room when they were making their jargon.

She knocked on the purposely left open door and then leaned in the doorway. It seemed he had thought it would be amusing to start using the abovementioned language. They usually did every now and again, like in the kitchen but not usually for any longer than a few lines or minutes.

She knew what it meant though. He was in a playful mood and the leaving the door open, it wasn't an invitation. It was his way of saying 'I know you'll come so don't even bother with the door.' And her knocking while waiting in the doorway told him 'stop being so arrogant, I'll do as I damn well please.'

He glanced up from the book he'd dived into as he sat cross legged and leaning against the headboard. His black eyes – darker than Sasuke's and far less dull because of the pretty blue she knew was dotted in them. His eyes seemed to say for her to come in, in that exasperated tone he would have used if he were speaking.

She smiled and rolled her eyes. _Yes, Your Highness._ She made her way across the threshold of the room, making sure to close the door behind her. She knew instinctively that Itachi didn't like his door left wide open.

He scooted over to make room for her beside him, but it was between him and the wall. _Sit next to me?_

Still smiling she crawled across the bed and settled next to him, leaning partially on him as she did so. _But of course_.

He closed the book and set it on the nightstand without taking his illegally mesmerizing eyes off her. _Don't start, not unless you're willing to go all the way._

But she was, she always was. After all, this was their language in their world.


	20. 24 Courage: Options

**Title:** Moments in Time: A Close Up

**Author:** AppleL0V3R

**Beta-reader:** Terror-Of-The-Crimson-Night

**Fandom:** Naruto

**Pairing:** Uchiha, Itachi and Haruno, Sakura

**Chapter:** Twenty – #24 Courage: Options

**Rating:** T

**Type:** One-shot – Complete

**Summary:** Prompts from Moments in Time that I was requested to expand on. 20. 24 – Courage: Options. She'd always liked having a choice. But not when it was between the lesser of two evils.

**Word Count:** 1,385

**Disclaimer:** If you've heard of it before, then it's obviously not mine.

**Note:** As the summary states these were skits I was asked to turn into actually works. I will always put which one it was and the skit just before the chapter. They won't be in numerical order because I'm doing them as I'm requested. They won't be any more than one-shots though they may become two to five –shots (I will forewarn when that happens) but they won't become stories unless I choose to.

Just like with the last, this one doesn't feel up to snuff. I don't know if it's these few days or what, but I just don't like anything I write (or if I do, then I don't think it's…enough…I guess). Well, maybe when I revisit this one (and still don't feel like I like it) then I'll figure out a way to fix it. For now, I hope you like it as it is. And yeah, I guess courage is somewhere in this because I totally forgot that that was the prompt I was supposed to be writing for.

**Request by:** Fuai

..:Xx0o0xX:..

24. Courage (Sakura)

She stared at the floor, aware of his presence. He was giving her a choice: help him – and become a traitor to her life and home – or don't – and face the probable death. Neither appealed to her especially and it wasn't like she was being given a lot of time to decide either.

No, she had until he chose for her. She'd been staring at the floor, seated on the edge of his bed where she was being kept for the time being, for nearly an hour now. Itachi was patient only when he wanted to be. And she was sure he didn't want to be now.

Closing her eyes, she opened her mouth. Whatever came out would decide her fate.

"Okay. I'll help you."

..:Xx0o0xX:..

Was this how it would end? She wondered, and part of her hoped that, yes it was. But most of her, most of her wished it was nothing more than one long nightmare that she simply couldn't wake up from. And she'd encountered nothing to prove otherwise. But she wasn't sleeping – not now at least – and she wasn't dreaming. This was reality, this was happening.

And was it the end?

Part of her didn't want it to be.

And the rest of her?

Going in circles it seemed. She couldn't help it, didn't want to stop it. Because it was the only thing keeping her sane. Believing in what was not instead of what would be. Driving herself crazy with worry, with over thinking, wouldn't get her anywhere but in deeper trouble.

And right now, that truly did seem like an impossible notion. Right now, it didn't feel like she was knee deep or waist deep, not even neck deep. No it felt like she was so far in over her head that she was drowning every single second with no chance of death rescuing her from this nightmarish hell she'd been thrown into.

But she was here. And nothing would change that. Not anyone who wanted to, anyway.

She shifted her legs – so sore, all of her ached – and tried to find a comfortable position. But there wasn't one to be found, not when the very air made her uncomfortable and edgy. But she made due as best she could because it wouldn't get her anywhere to exhaust herself like this. She needed as much energy as she could keep if she was going to stand a chance – any chance at all – of getting out of here.

The door didn't make a sound as it was opened, but the air shifted and she instinctively tensed. But she could move, couldn't attempt to with this cuff on her wrist or the fact that her capture didn't like her anywhere but on the bed when he was in the room. It kept her more contained, she supposed, meant he had to deal with less resistance. And though she had fought it for a little while at first, now she simply complied because it meant less loss of energy for her as well. And she still needed all the energy she could keep. Had she already established that? Her mind must still be running in circles. She wondered if it would straighten out once she got away – _if _she got away. She sincerely hoped, but she knew that a part of her would always be damaged by this experience.

She would never forget this. No matter what.

But right now, she needed to focus on him. He was just inside the now closed door, sealing any chance of escape. Not that she would try, especially not with him in the vicinity. She wasn't an idiot after all, and she also knew that when he stayed right there it was because he wanted something from her. Something that he was pretty certain she wouldn't give without a fight.

But considering she was pretty much chained to his bed, it was quite amusing that he thought she would bother to fight. And she wondered if she would, it depended on what he wanted, she supposed. And knowing him, he probably want as much the world as she could give and then some, because that was simply who he was.

"I'm only going to ask this once, and you're only going to get one chance to answer." He started quietly, those intense crimson eyes zeroed on her. She didn't dare meet them, that's what had gotten her into this mess in the first place and she'd been careful not to make it again. "You have two choices. Either you help me or you don't."

Her throat locked up and for a long time, her mind wouldn't process anything.

She stared at the floor, far too aware of his presence. Finally the choices started sinking in, as well as the underlining meaning in both. And she fought those thoughts for a bit, didn't want to think about them just yet because if she did then it meant she was actually deliberating and that was the first step in anything – giving both sides a fighting chance. And she didn't want to. But she had to. She had to choose to either help him – and become a traitor to her life and home – or don't – and face the probable death. Neither appealed to her especially and it wasn't like she was being given a lot of time to decide either.

No, she had until he chose for her. She'd been staring at the floor, seated on the edge of his bed which was as far as she dared to go, for some amount of time now – an hour maybe? She'd long since stopped bothering to even keep track. Itachi was patient only when he wanted to be. And she was sure he didn't want to be now.

She wasn't going to think this through, wasn't going to think about what she chose subconsciously – or if it meant anything because didn't want to think of herself as a traitor or suicidal. But those were her options and, honestly, she didn't which of the two was better. Maybe she was thinking about this all wrong though, maybe instead of think of the glass as half empty, she should try for half full. So…life or loyalty. And it didn't help any at all either.

Which brought her to her next attempt at an answer.

She closed her eyes and opened her mouth.

"Okay. I'll help you."

And sealed her fate.

Maybe she could plead temporary insanity for this choice or perhaps some condition like Stockholm Syndrome. That sounded good, but of course that was on the assumption that she'd ever get to go home.

Well, whatever happened next, she had to live with it.


	21. 25 Passion: Pieces

**Title:** Moments in Time: A Close Up

**Author:** AppleL0V3R

**Beta-reader:** Terror-Of-The-Crimson-Night

**Fandom:** Naruto

**Pairing:** Uchiha, Itachi and Haruno, Sakura

**Chapter:** Twenty-One – #25 Passion: Pieces

**Rating:** T

**Type:** One-shot – Complete

**Summary:** Prompts from Moments in Time that I was requested to expand on. 21. 25 – Passion: Pieces. Just when he'd thought he'd broken her down, he watched her pick herself up again.

**Word Count:** 1,635

**Disclaimer:** If you've heard of it before, then it's obviously not mine.

**Note:** As the summary states these were skits I was asked to turn into actually works. I will always put which one it was and the skit just before the chapter. They won't be in numerical order because I'm doing them as I'm requested. They won't be any more than one-shots though they may become two to five –shots (I will forewarn when that happens) but they won't become stories unless I choose to.

Also I'm back to liking my chapters. But that's not what's important, what is however, is that you guys are awesome. I love you my lovely reviewers and appreciate you very much (because you like my stuff and think it's awesome even when I don't) And since you guys also got this story over one hundred reviews. I'm so ecstatic and bounce it's not even funny. So I will try to do my best with every chapter I post – not that I've half-assed the previous ones (though I still think chapters 19 and 20 could be better). But there are a few reviewers (my regulars who are awesome enough to review every chapter I've posted thus far, or have continuously – though not necessarily back to back – reviewed since they first did so) that I really want to thank because I just don't feel like a review reply is enough to show my gratitude and love. And those lovely reviewers are angel897, Twisted Musalih, Fuai, Anime Freak456, Akatsuki Sakura Uchiha, theonesakura, The-Hatter44, Wickedlovely. You guys are absolutely awesome, so thank you very much for your feedback; it's probably half the reason why I'm updating so frequently.

And my anonymous reviewers? Thank you also, since I can't PM you back I'm saying it here.

Sorry for gabbing, I just had to say this.

**Request by:** Anime Freak456

..:Xx0o0xX:..

25. Passion (Itachi)

He watched with nothing short of amazement as life flickered back into her eyes. As she slowly picked up the pieces of herself and put them back together, squaring her shoulders and hardening her eyes. She hadn't gotten all the pieces, but if her display now was any constellation she would get them too soon enough.

Now he knew why Konoha had treasured and guarded this one kunoichi so heavily. She was strong and no matter how many times she was broken down she always got right back up again.

Perhaps a change in plans was in order. Breaking her as he had the others wouldn't work, so he'd build her up. If he gained her loyalty, perhaps he'd stand to gain so much more.

..:Xx0o0xX:..

One tear fell, followed by a whole slew of others. Her head hung itself as her body began shaking with the force of her tears and emotions. He merely watched though, staying off to the side stonily. He knew this would break her, it would kill her completely to see the bodies of her fallen loved ones. And so he'd shown it to her. Because nothing else seemed to work, nothing else hurt her enough for her to want it to stop. Her life wasn't so important and she was so certain that even without her, her loved ones would find a way to live on. There was no reason that she saw for her to give in to him.

No reason, expect this.

So he kept watching with crimson eyes as, like her tears she began to fall as well, first her shaky legs began giving way and soon she fell to her knees when they could no longer do anything other than buckle beneath her weight. She didn't bother to catch herself as her knees thudded against the hard, cold earth of the blood soaked ground. Her arms were limp appendages at her side as she her spine started to curve and finally she crumbled in on herself. Folding into the smallest form that her small body could manage, as if trying to take up the least amount of space possible.

As if she was trying to disappear.

And undoubtedly, that's what she wanted to do. He kept watching as next her mind crumbled as well, her strong mental walls – so thick, so strong, so big, so far reaching – became nothing more than pebbles in the wind. It wouldn't be much longer now; until she came to the conclusion he wanted her to.

Until she figured out which path she would take. Death or helping him. She didn't have anything else to hold onto know. She had no loyalty to be bound to. And so now she was his to manipulate, to control.

Just like he wanted.

All he had to do was wait until she went where he was leading her. Though he did hope she chose to help him, it would be a pity if she became suicidal after this, especially after he'd gone through the trouble to pick out someone with her talent and strength but also with a will to live just strong enough that the loss of loved ones wouldn't tear it down but it still make it bendable to his own will. After all, that's where those before him had gone wrong; they'd picked him for his strength and genius tendencies but the miscalculated his will. He would not do the same, he would find the perfect pawn and he was certain that pawn was her.

And as an added bonus, the Kyuubi container and his little brother would do anything to protect her.

She was most certainly the right choice, all he had to do was make her his perfect toy soldier and that was well under way.

But she didn't. She stayed crumbled and he wondered with slight irritation if he hadn't just broken her, but shattered her as well. Perhaps he had miscalculated her will, overestimating her ability to get back to her feet. And now that he thought about it, this could be why she was so protected, so guarded. Strong until she broke and then she was useless. He frowned and the unforeseen and most certainly unwanted out come of this test of his.

Now he would have to start all over again.

He didn't mind that so much, more that she'd had all the things he'd been looking for. Except enough will power, apparently.

But there was nothing he could do about that now, she was completely useless after all and there was no point in trying to change that. He'd have better luck selected and different pawn. So with defeat he took a step back and turned to walk away from the carnage before him.

And then something unanticipated happened that made him halt in his tracks and simply watch her. He couldn't seem to take his eyes away from her form, as if something had glued the crimson organs to her. So he watched with nothing short of amazement as life flickered back into her eyes. As she slowly picked up the pieces of herself and put them back together, squaring her shoulders and hardening her eyes. She hadn't gotten all the pieces, but if her display now was any constellation she would get them too soon enough.

Now he knew why Konoha had treasured and guarded this one kunoichi so heavily. She was strong and no matter how many times she was broken down she always got right back up again.

Perhaps a change in plans was in order. Breaking her as he had his other pawns wouldn't work, so he'd build her up. If he gained her loyalty, perhaps he'd stand to gain so much more.

He tilted his head, deliberating on the idea only a moment before conceding to it. He didn't mind changing his plans for this outcome; this was more than he'd even hoped for. So he turned back around to fully face her, though she was still on her knees he could see her strength growing. It was a kind of passion he'd never seen before, never even heard of except in those absurd fairy tales his mother had read to Sasuke when the younger Uchiha was a small child. Maybe not so absurd after all. And he knew that this kind of passion, especially when there was so much of it, was also a form of power because it was sheer resilience.

And he could most certainly use it.

He easily took one step after the other until he was by her side. Somewhere in the back of his mind he couldn't help but think of how he wanted her to stay there until she truly became useless to him, especially when she tilted her head back to look him straight in the eye with fire filled, dark green eyes. It was like looking into emeralds with a bright white fire being reflected off their surface. He liked the sight, he decided.

Though he also knew that having her by his side, and not a step behind him as he had originally planned, meant that she would be his equal. It meant that she would be his pawn, but an player with the same footing. It would be a challenge, but Uchiha, Itachi always had liked a good challenge.

So he would make her stronger – as strong as she was capable of being.

And he would make her his.


	22. 31 Lust: Ownership :: Part One

**Title:** Moments in Time: A Close Up

**Author:** AppleL0V3R

**Beta-reader:** Terror-Of-The-Crimson-Night

**Fandom:** Naruto

**Pairing:** Uchiha, Itachi and Haruno, Sakura

**Chapter:** Twenty-Two – #31 Lust: Ownership (Part One)

**Rating:** T

**Type:** Three-shot – Incomplete

**Summary:** Prompts from Moments in Time that I was requested to expand on. 22. 31 – Lust: Ownership. They say never judge a book by its cover. But she'd just proven that true and false in an instant.

**Word Count:** 2,880

**Disclaimer:** If you've heard of it before, then it's obviously not mine.

**Note:** As the summary states these were skits I was asked to turn into actually works. I will always put which one it was and the skit just before the chapter. They won't be in numerical order because I'm doing them as I'm requested. They won't be any more than one-shots though they may become two to five –shots (I will forewarn when that happens) but they won't become stories unless I choose to.

Have you guys gotten used to ignoring the above statement? Well, I suggest you reread it, because now is one of those times. this skit is going to be a three-shot (I think, as long as this goes according to my plans).

**Request by:** Anime Freak456

..:Xx0o0xX:..

31. Lust (Itachi)

Few things had tempted Itachi, and none of them out of his reach. It didn't matter what it was, he could get his hands on it because he always got what he wanted.

Then she came along.

She'd caught his eye like no other. Strong and beautiful, quick witted and aware of both history and current events. True she wasn't the top of all these categories, but all her quirks more than made up for it.

But she wasn't his. And on most occasions he wouldn't mind, but she was exactly what he was looking for. And for the first time, what he wanted most was out of his reach. Because she refused to be his.

And that made him want her all the more.

..:Xx0o0xX:..

Sakura sighed for the what seemed like the millionth time that night, it figured her boys – with the persuasion of Ino – would do something like this to her. Apparently, they'd gone from keeping guys at least ten feet away from her to trying to attract as many as they could. She was certain this was three parts Ino's fault…and two parts hers. But still. Did they have to do this to her? What was she saying? Of course they did, they were Naruto and Sasuke for goodness sake, and they never did anything half-assed.

And what did they do to her?

They put her in the worst outfit possible – it was showy, it was tight, it screamed 'look at me because I'm beautiful and I want you to know it' – and then made her go to this stupid event. A police hosted even no less.

Sometimes, she really couldn't believe them.

But now she had no choice but to make the best of it. By making sure as few people as possible actually saw her. Which was not an easy task considering she felt like she was naked with the type and amount of clothing she was wearing. Thankfully, not too many had actually bothered to speak to her. Though the amount of looks was significantly more, but she could ignore those, she'd gotten used to ignoring those.

Still. She tried to shift the dress because she was horribly uncomfortable, but she found that to not only not work but be a bad idea. The thing hardly moved where she wanted it to and unfortunately she caught a few people's attention.

The only reprieve in this was that she was allowed to wear a mask. She loved masquerade parties – not really, but she did like them better than the others – because she could be something she wasn't. And Halloween parties were just plan fun, especially when it was with a group of friends where everyone knew everyone. She didn't like Christmas parties, however, but that was a completely different story.

The other plus about this being a police event was that it was held in the police department which meant that the place was huge and most of the guys here were stick-in-the-mud's anyhow. So she figured she only needed to suffer for maybe an hour or two and then she'd have adequate enough of an excuse to simply go home no matter what her three family siblings tried to say. She was so going to get them back for this as well. Unfortunately she'd only been here for maybe ten minutes.

So fifty minutes to go.

She decided to settle in a chair, careful to keep her back straight and her legs straight in front of her with her legs side by side, she didn't need the dress slipping or moving in anyway that could be considered even more appropriate than it was. And then she proceeded to keep a sharp eye out for anyone of the three brats who'd gotten her into this mess and decided to go over some things in her mind.

She was a science teacher at the local high school, teaching mostly chemistry and physics. Her original goal was and still to be a doctor but at the moment she was still taking class to do that. So since she loved children she'd gone for that first so that she could find a stable – though admittedly not the greatest – income that wasn't at some grocery store or other. She still had quite a few years left of college considering she was majoring in both medicine and psychology, but she figured that she was doing pretty well for herself and she loved her life the way it was.

She had class early the next morning and since a normal high school day starts at seven fifteen, she hoped she would be able to actually get out of here in the time she wants to because it's already nine o'clock and she still has to finish grading those papers she had all of her classes turn in the day before. It seemed Monday sucked for both students and teachers. Thankfully, he afternoon classes had only gone from four-thirty to seven as they usually did on Mondays. Her schedule was far too hectic, she knew, but as long as she was able to stay on top of things she really didn't see how it mattered.

Her thoughts were cut short however, when someone dined to set next to her. She had intended to toss him a polite smile of acknowledgement but it didn't quite work out for a few reasons. Those being that he was drop dead gorgeous and staring at her with intense black eyes. Suddenly she found herself frozen and unsure of what to do once her mind figured out how to start computing again. She forced herself not gulp down the saliva in her mouth from merely looking at him and did her best not to ogle either. She'd never been that type of girl and she'd be damned if she started now. He was a stranger, a complete and utter stranger, for goodness sake.

He tilted his head, and she tried not to notice how his jet black hair seemed to spill over his shoulder with the movement even though it was tied back. Because she knew that if she did then her gaze would travel and then she'd check out just how nicely he fit the suit he was wearing. The only thing that stopped her from doing so were those eyes of his. They weren't as inky as his hair but there was a quality about them that made sure she couldn't look away and she knew that all though it was temporarily saving her from making a fool of herself, she knew it was going to get her into a lot of trouble later if she didn't figure out how to control herself and her suddenly crazed hormones.

"Hello." She finally managed when it seemed her voice had returned and her jaw could move properly, she was thankful she sounded like her normal self.

He inclined his head slightly, "Hello, to you too."

She nearly melted at his voice; it was so deep and silky, like crushed velvet and what hopeless romantic – like she was – wouldn't go gaga over that? But since she'd greeted him she felt that she was well within etiquette to turn her focus back to the mingling people in front of her and not say anything more to him. In fact she had already started to try to push all thoughts of him to the back of her mind. It was unsuccessful, however, because she could feel him right next to her. Feel his body heat and his presence and the fact that he was burning a hole in the side of her head was totally not helping matters.

And things had been going so well on the whole avoiding everybody in the room until she could leave thing. Clearly, somebody up there was bent on making this day as hard and complicated as possible for her.

She didn't turn back to him though, she merely tried to focus on some point on the wall across the room and tell herself he wasn't there. Maybe if she kept telling herself that and didn't look at him, he really would go away or at least start ignoring her too.

But with her luck thus far?

"What is your name?"

Not happening. She took a breath and turned back to him, pulling out another one of her smiles, one of the polite 'okay I'll talk to you, but only because you started this conversation and don't expect me to fully participate' smiles. "Haruno, Sakura. Pleased to meet you."

He nodded and held out a hand, she tried not to glance it for the same reason she refused to look anywhere but his eyes while facing him. "Uchiha, Itachi and the pleasure is all mine."

Was it her or did he just use a bit of a husky voice, as if he was trying to entice her. Because if he was it was totally working and made her dress fell even tighter and more exposing than it already did. Not to mention hot, was she coming down with a fever or something? She almost hoped so if it would get her not only away from him but out of here all the faster. But she knew that she had to shake his hand no matter how many warning bells were going off in her head not to. But it was only a handshake, nothing more. Professional businessmen and women did it all the time, so she could too.

Swallowing as unnoticeably as she could, she reached out with her own bare hand to grasp his. His fingers were long and his skin soft, but she could feel the calluses on them and pushed away the curiosity of where they came from. She made sure to grasp firmly, but daintily and then shook.

A smirk tugged on his lips and suddenly she wished she'd listened to those warning bells. His fingers curled around her hand, grasping just that much tighter even after the shake was clearly over. And then he proceeded to tug a little, pulling her closer in proximity to him. His eyes were dark and she resisted the urge to squirm while being the undivided target of them.

But much to her surprise, he was suddenly letting go and standing up. But he hadn't looked away from her, "I hope we meet again."

And then he turned and disappeared into the crowd.

..:Xx0o0xX:..

After that incident, nothing had happened for the rest of the time she was there. And she was thankful for it, too because she simply could not get him out of her head, couldn't stop herself from the infinite and one questions that continually appeared, each one with out an answer and they always beckoned more to follow. It had irritated her to the point that she had gotten up and found Ino, telling the blonde she was leaving and that simply wasn't going to change, regardless of the fact that the rosette had only stayed at most thirty minutes.

She figured the sooner she got home and out of this ridiculous outfit, the sooner she could get into something comfortable and start working. And by doing so she hoped the whole thing would fade to the back of her mind and rot there until she forgot the whole thing ever happened in the first place.

She got out of the place without incident, but not to her car with the same luck.

Not for the first time that night and certainly not that day, she cursed her luck and though of how someone up there was clearly having a lot of fun throwing her into mess after mess. She should never have allowed herself be suckered into coming here, if she hadn't, none of this would have ever been a problem. Yet another reason to get back at the three who had done this to her.

When she left, the night had gotten colder and the breeze had started to pick up. It made her shiver on contact, but what froze her was the fact that the man from early – Itachi, was it? – was standing outside. Almost as if he had been waiting for her. But that was absurd and she knew it, so she decided to simply keep walking, if he acknowledged her then she'd return the favor but she wasn't going to go out of her way about it or make a fool of herself. Wearing this attire was bad enough as it was anyway.

But of course he did. "Hello again, Sakura."

She smiled at him, realizing that it was very dark out tonight and remembered that it a new moon wasn't that far off. "Hello, Itachi."

And she stepped forward to keep going now that she had greeted him for the second time in a half hour, but she didn't see the curb well enough to put her foot in the right place. And so, like the klutz she was she stumbled and lost her balance as her arms shot out to flail about in an attempt to regain said lost balance. But she didn't however as her body tumbled forward and she squeezed her eyes shut and readied herself the impact. It wouldn't hurt that bad, she knew, the only thing that would be hurt was her pride and she'd be nothing short of embarrassed and humiliated at her accident prone tendencies.

Once again, someone was clearly having fun tugging her around, literally. And frankly it was more than beginning to irritate her.

Her body didn't hit the ground though, it hit something hard yes, but she knew what meeting the ground felt like and this most certainly was not it. That and she was pretty sure asphalt didn't have arms that wrapped around the waists' of people that fell into it while keeping them mostly in a standing position. She stayed frozen a moment, not daring to move, but when nothing happened, she allowed her eyes to open and slowly tilted her head upwards.

She met those pretty black eyes once more.

And suddenly she was very glad he was already holding her entire weight because she was pretty sure her knees would have just buckled. Especially since she could feel the finely built muscle under her hand which she realized was splayed over his chest. It was hard and sturdy and she was totally right about fitting his suit in that way. She froze at her train of thought, she wasn't a teenager anymore and the one guy she'd thought about like this turned out to be her ex-boyfriend who was a complete and utter ass.

So this? Yeah, not even going to go down this road.

She felt a rumble under her hand and realized that he was making it and the sound was actually stifled amusement. She could see it in his eyes and it made most of her prickle with indignation the rest decided it liked the sound and that look even if it was at her expense. Maybe he was someone to get to know.

His smirk from before was a ghost of a smile now as he watched her. And his arms were still snug around her waist too, she realized and did everything she could not to let the blush rise. Ultimately she was thankful it was so dark out – even though she was still cursing it because if it hadn't been this thing wouldn't have happened in the first place.

He leaned down until his breath puffed soft and hot on her ear and then whispered so softly, "Be careful, Sakura. If you don't watch where your going you may just run into someone you don't want to."

And she really blushed then; a brilliant scarlet that she was pretty sure could serve as a candle.

And not for the first time she cursed whoever was getting there kicks out of doing this to her.


	23. 31 Lust: Ownership :: Part Two

**Title:** Moments in Time: A Close Up

**Author:** AppleL0V3R

**Beta-reader:** Terror-Of-The-Crimson-Night

**Fandom:** Naruto

**Pairing:** Uchiha, Itachi and Haruno, Sakura

**Chapter:** Twenty-Three – #31 Lust: Ownership (Part Two)

**Rating:** T

**Type:** One-shot – Complete

**Summary:** Prompts from Moments in Time that I was requested to expand on. 23. 31 – Lust: Ownership. They say never judge a book by its cover. But she'd just proven that true and false in an instant.

**Word Count:** 3,000

**Disclaimer:** If you've heard of it before, then it's obviously not mine.

**Note:** As the summary states these were skits I was asked to turn into actually works. I will always put which one it was and the skit just before the chapter. They won't be in numerical order because I'm doing them as I'm requested. They won't be any more than one-shots though they may become two to five –shots (I will forewarn when that happens) but they won't become stories unless I choose to.

And this is part two of the three-shot.

**Request by:** Anime Freak456

..:Xx0o0xX:..

31. Lust (Itachi)

Few things had tempted Itachi, and none of them out of his reach. It didn't matter what it was, he could get his hands on it because he always got what he wanted.

Then she came along.

She'd caught his eye like no other. Strong and beautiful, quick witted and aware of both history and current events. True she wasn't the top of all these categories, but all her quirks more than made up for it.

But she wasn't his. And on most occasions he wouldn't mind, but she was exactly what he was looking for. And for the first time, what he wanted most was out of his reach. Because she refused to be his.

And that made him want her all the more.

..:Xx0o0xX:..

She got up and starting picking up the lab sheets that her last class had left on the desks. Today hadn't been particularly long or tiring, it had actually been fun – discounting any purposeful mistakes her students had made during the lab – what with testing chemicals and such. She had two classes after school today as well but those wouldn't start for another – she glanced at the clock which read two-thirty – couple hours. So she'd use the down time to go home and get some chores done and start in on the plan for next week. And she had to start making that test, too. She made a mental note to go talk to Kabuto at some point before Friday about that. Thankfully, tomorrow was Thursday which meant they'd be doing the other four periods of the school day and so she didn't have to plan for it.

The school time schedule was a bit different. Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays were all seven-fifteen to two-thirty with seven periods and two lunches based around fifth period. Wednesdays and Thursdays shared the seven hours, on Wednesday was periods one through three with school starting at eight-fifty and ending at two-thirty and one Thursday was four through seven with the normal start and stop times. These days were called block days because periods were twice as long with a resource period – something that allowed students to come in and make up work or get help for classes – on Wednesday that started at seven.

And today was Wednesday. Unfortunately, most Wednesdays there was a staff meeting from seven to eight, today being one of those days. It hadn't been horrible, but had been boring and most of it she'd been trying to get Kabuto to talk to her but since he was so nonsensical he had ended up ignoring her as usual.

When she had gotten all of the plastic protected papers, she set them in a neat pile on her desk where she'd grabbed them from that morning. She stretched then as she rounded her desk to exit out of what she'd just finished doing, but didn't shut down the computer. She couldn't think of if she had any students coming in after school, they had all come in this morning but school policy was that all teachers must stay until at least three. So in the mean time she'd start planning that test.

Before she could actually start though, her silver haired coworker appeared in the doorway though he wasn't looking at her. He was looking to his left and this made her immediately curious. It was already nearing December so she was pretty sure that all of the students knew their way around the school and they didn't have any new staff members this year. And there was no reason a substitute teacher should be looking for her, so who could Kabuto possibly be directing?

He took a step back to make room for her visitor. She froze when she saw who it was.

It was him. There was no mistaking it. Yes, he'd been wearing a mask, but she'd know that stance, that hair, that build, those eyes, anywhere.

It was Itachi and she found herself cursing her luck.

It wasn't that she didn't like him or anything; it was just that he was impossible to be around and she didn't even know the guy yet. That and he'd been on her mind constantly since that night at the police event almost a month ago. None of her three siblings had let the fact that she'd run out so suddenly go and badgered her about it every chance they got, which was why she was spending more time with Kabuto while at the high school and Deidara and Sasori while at the college.

He nodded once to Kabuto and the science teacher – he really should have gone straight into science itself in Sakura's opinion, but she wasn't exactly one to talk – nodded back before skirting the taller male and disappearing from her field of vision.

Once he was gone, Itachi turned towards her; easy, long strides lead him to her on silent, swift feet. He didn't stop until he was touching the desk with how close he was. His silky looking hair was over his right shoulder and he didn't seem inclined to move it since it clearly wasn't in his way. She tried to make her swallow as unnoticeable as possible as she nodded to him.

"Hello, Itachi. What an unexpected surprise. Is there anything you need of me?" Because really, why would _he_ be looking for _her_. After the event, he'd been on her mind so much – and she was sure she'd heard his name before hand – she'd decided to finally just look him up. As it turned out, he was the Chief of Police. What would someone like that want someone like her for?

"You are a very hard person to track down, Sakura." He returned, his gaze steady and eyes intense as they seemed to analyze and see right through her.

"I wasn't aware I was being looked for." She rebutted carefully, she didn't what this was all about. And she was fairly certain she didn't want to, so she was going to do her best to sidestep everything he said or asked. Nothing against him personally, but she simply didn't have the time for what she was guessing he wanted. After all she didn't do casual relationships and had too much on her plate as it was for real ones.

She hoped that a student would come in for her help, or even a staff member needing something. He seemed the type to back off when someone else was present, at least she hoped, though she didn't know if he was willing to wait for her to finish with whoever was asking her attention. Something told that yes, yes he would if he had to. But it didn't matter because when it came to him she had no luck at all.

He tilted his head, "You were. How are you?"

She almost blinked with surprise. "I am well, busy, but well. And yourself?"

"Much the same, though I would tack on a chaotic family. You didn't strike me as the teacher type."

She was confused. What the world was he doing? They'd barely spoken more than a greeting twice and exchanged names. And yet him – a complete stranger – had gone through the trouble of finding her almost a month after they'd first met, coming to her work place and starting completely random and a bit personal conversations. Was there something wrong with him?

"I love kids, but your right, I am currently taking classes in medicine."

"Medicine?" He looked a bit surprised but intrigued all the same. He leaned forward, setting forearms on the table and then put part of his wait on them as he continued to keep her gaze.

She nodded, still completely wary and totally uncertain of how to react to this guy. "Cardiology. I want to be a surgeon."

He smirked, "That's quite the profession, I wish the best of luck in it."

Yeah, like that would make her luck any better. She inclined her head with gratitude so as not to seem rude. "And you? What profession are you in?"

"Law." He answered easily as if bored with the topic. He wanted to know about her, she realized, and for the life of her she couldn't figure out why.

She cleared her throat, "What part of law?"

"I am a police officer, the Chief of Police." His expression was nonchalant as if it was the same as saying that the sky was blue.

The thought occurred to her that she might be in danger of him, but as he'd just stated, he was the Chief of Police. One didn't get to that position without a lot of dedication and being one hundred percent healthy for the force. So no matter what his quirks were, she hoped that she was perfectly safe. Besides, Kabuto was next door; if there really was a problem she could scream and he would come running. Because as it turned out, he'd actually taken a variety of martial arts classes and wouldn't hesitate to protect her. He was sort of like a brother to her, especially since she'd known him almost as long as she'd known her not blood-related siblings.

"That's very impressive. It couldn't have been easy getting there."

He paused and then shook his head, "No, it was not. Do you have classes today?"

She nodded her head slowly, glancing at the clock on the computer. It read two-fifty. "Four-thirty is when my first class starts." Why had she said that? She was pretty much inviting him to invade her life and that was definitely not what she wanted to do.

He had glanced at the time when she had and nodded, straightening up once more. She could see why he was in his position; he certainly had the appearance for it. "Then, I suppose we will have to find another time to talk."

Before she could catch herself she was agreeing and getting up to see him out of her classroom. At the door he paused and looked down at her and she hated how she was so small that she only came to his shoulder. "It was nice seeing you again, Sakura. I hope we get to do so again soon."

She stared dumbstruck once more as he turned and quickly disappeared down the hall and out of her sight.

..:Xx0o0xX:..

And 'run into' him again she did. She was starting to wonder if it was coincidence or not considering this would be the third time not including their initial meeting. She was starting to see a pattern though, he would seek her out and leave abruptly, she would happen upon him do something embarrassing. This time was no exception.

She'd run into him in a history museum. As much history fascinated her, she'd been there on a class assignment. It was a relatively simple one for psychology. Just find evidence of why human beings have so much war and so she'd decided to see what wars and battles had been honored over the years. She'd been browsing in the world war one section when she'd seen him.

The moment her green eyes caught sight of him she thought about backing up and coming back another day but figured it foolish. It wasn't like he'd done anything, and sure he was very invasive not to mention evasive, but it wasn't like he'd showed any intention of harm towards her. In fact he'd exhibited – pun not intended – nothing but interest and kindness. It was more that she could say for any other guy who would seek her out or flirt with her.

And if she really had to admit it to herself, she kind of liked it. It was nice having such attention. And if he was a stranger right now, what would it be like when they actually knew each other?

So she decided to simply mosey her way over to him until she was standing directly to his left looking at a huge painting that was on the wall. "Hey." She greeted without looking at him.

He inclined his head and she could feel his gaze on her even though she was fairly certain he hadn't turned his head. "Hello again." His voice expressed an iota of surprise. It hadn't even been a month this time, just a little over a week, really.

She smiled and decided to explain, "I'm here for a history project – the effects of war on the human mind and why we still have war."

This time he did turn his head, "Oh? History from the psychological perspective, I'm sure there is quite a bit to say about that."

She laughed as she bobbed her own head, deigning to finally turn to him as well. She was immediately swallowed up by those black eyes of his and knew instinctively, that just like all the other times she would be able to look away until he allowed her to. It simply wasn't fair that someone could do such a thing, it should be considered illegal. "There is, war itself is a very broad topic as is, throwing in the human mind on top of it just creates a maze. But I'm thinking about just doing one war and breeze over a few others."

"And what war are you going to pick?"

"World War II. There is a lot there to work with."

He nodded, "There certainly is."

"But it's going to be so depressing, I remember learning about it in high school and hated hearing about all the…crap humans did."

His eyes seemed to change without really changing, it confused her for a moment and she felt like he'd just done some type of magic trick. "You don't like violence."

She shook her head adamantly, "There is no excuse for fighting, I realize humans are prone to violence at some point or another, but on such a scale? In such a way? It's not even human anymore." She refused to back down from that stand point because what happened was wrong, there was no way that it could ever be right. But that was a whole other argument that she wasn't going to even start in on.

Itachi hummed lightly, using the sound as acknowledgement and agreement. But he didn't seem inclined to make an actual comment on the subject, which she didn't really mind. But he did change the subject. "I will have to be going soon, I have some work to attend to."

She blinked at the abruptness of the statement and could only manage a delayed and slow nod of understanding. "Sure, that's understandable." It was the weekend for her, she loved Saturdays because they always meant a day to kick back and have fun since she usually had all her work done to the point that if it wasn't finished then she could do it easily the next day. The only reason why she was doing homework today was to escape from Ino's pestering.

He had already turned to start for the World War II exhibit and she didn't see any reason not to follow him. "How soon is soon?"

"Less than an hour."

"Mmkay." It was odd in a way, how natural it felt to walk beside him, so easy. And to think the last time she'd seen him she'd been wary that she'd end up dead in a ditch somewhere.

"You don't have school today?"

She shook her head; her long pink hair had been pulled back in a low pony tail so it only swayed a little and only at the bottom where the tips reached her waist. Sakura was adorned in some long black slacks and a simple red t-shirt. "It's Saturday."

And just as she'd mentioned earlier, she did something very klutzy and very Sakura. And this time it was stepping in the wrong place and losing her balance only to land against Itachi's chest. This time it was bumping into one of the museums pieces and then losing her balance. But this time she cast her arms out and grabbed whatever she could, which ended up being Itachi's hand, and pulled it down with her. Before she knew it she was on the floor with Itachi splayed on top of her as she firmly grasped her hand with his.

Well crap.

Again? Seriously. Her luck sucked, like major. Well, maybe not that bad, at least what she ran into hadn't fallen over or even really moved for that matter. So at least she didn't have to worry about having damaged the museum's property, that would be plain horrible.

Slowly, the man above her used his free hand to push himself up a little so that they could see eye to eye. She could see the gleam materialize in his eyes as he all but purred, "I do believe I've already told you to watch your step, Sakura."


	24. 31 Lust: Ownership :: Part Three

**Title:** Moments in Time: A Close Up

**Author:** AppleL0V3R

**Beta-reader:** Terror-Of-The-Crimson-Night

**Fandom:** Naruto

**Pairing:** Uchiha, Itachi and Haruno, Sakura

**Chapter:** Twenty-Four – #31 Lust: Ownership (Part Three)

**Rating:** T

**Type:** One-shot – Complete

**Summary:** Prompts from Moments in Time that I was requested to expand on. 24. 31 – Lust: Ownership. They say never judge a book by its cover. But she'd just proven that true and false in an instant.

**Word Count:** 2,180

**Disclaimer:** If you've heard of it before, then it's obviously not mine.

**Note:** As the summary states these were skits I was asked to turn into actually works. I will always put which one it was and the skit just before the chapter. They won't be in numerical order because I'm doing them as I'm requested. They won't be any more than one-shots though they may become two to five –shots (I will forewarn when that happens) but they won't become stories unless I choose to.

And this is part three of the three-shot.

**Request by:** Anime Freak456

..:Xx0o0xX:..

31. Lust (Itachi)

Few things had tempted Itachi, and none of them out of his reach. It didn't matter what it was, he could get his hands on it because he always got what he wanted.

Then she came along.

She'd caught his eye like no other. Strong and beautiful, quick witted and aware of both history and current events. True she wasn't the top of all these categories, but all her quirks more than made up for it.

But she wasn't his. And on most occasions he wouldn't mind, but she was exactly what he was looking for. And for the first time, what he wanted most was out of his reach. Because she refused to be his.

And that made him want her all the more.

..:Xx0o0xX:..

With each meeting Itachi found himself liking this little spitfire he'd found more and more. Though, he supposed Sasuke did deserve some credit since the younger man had managed to convince him into talking to her in the first place. Itachi initially had met her through Sasuke and kept an eye on her of his own volition. He'd been curious how she would turn out as an adult and though he hadn't been able to keep much of a tab on her since he graduated from high school, now not only could he keep track of her he could keep contact with her.

Meeting her for the first time had been a treat, she'd been dressed a whole lot skimpier than he had thought she would ever even dare to go for – Sasuke assured him the attire was completely Sakura's blonde sister's fault, the rosette had just been the unwilling victim – and he had to admit he liked the view that he got of her body and skin. Though he hadn't been in anyway pleased to see all the lustful looks she'd gotten as other men had checked her out. Few approached her and the ones who did, didn't get very far with her.

And when she'd happened to come outside when he was taking a breath of fresh air, he'd been surprised, under the impression that she would have been there for at least another half hour. He'd made a mental not to ask Sasuke about it, but had been more preoccupied with her and her clumsy footing. In the dark of the night he'd seen her place her foot in a not so ideal place at the edge of the sidewalk and had quickly moved to catch her. It had been nice to feel her pressed against his chest, hand splayed over his torso to keep some semblance of her balance as he held pretty much all of her weight as his arms encircled her. He hadn't been able to resist teasing her at that time.

To his surprise, when he'd tried to locate her some time later, a few weeks since he'd been focused on some important cases, it had taken almost five days to find her. He'd also been surprised to find that she worked as a science teacher at the local high school, it didn't seem to actually fit her. But he had used the information to catch her the next day, one of her coworkers had been kind enough to point him to her. Though the silver haired man that had done so had had a look on his face that Itachi had made a mental note of to ask Sakura about when he found the appropriate time to do so. Especially since the look had been a little protective and almost as much territorial, the rest was amused and interested. But he'd pushed it to the back of his mind when he'd started conversing with her. He could tell that until the very end he'd continually caught her off guard and unsure of how to respond and he found he liked her like that.

The next and last time he'd had been unexpected as well. He had been visiting the history museum because he was meeting someone for work there and had ended up there a half hour before the scheduled meeting. He honestly hadn't expected to meet her but had been nice all the same.

And a pattern with their meetings had begun to show, especially when she'd tripped and ended up flat on her back and managed to pull him down right on top of her. He hadn't expected her to reach out like that and hadn't been able to catch either one of them in time. But he founded he hadn't quiet minded when they ended up so pressed against her. And again he found himself teasing her about footing, this time though, with a more husky edge that had gotten a scarlet blush out of her.

He'd enjoyed the view for a few moments, before the memory that he was going to be late for his meeting if he didn't get going soon and the fact that they were in a public place had set in. He'd told himself that if it happened again, and he was almost sure that it was wont to, he wouldn't back off so easily. And so had pushed himself up to his knees and then his feet, pulling her with him as he did so. She was so easy to maneuver, he wondered what how much she would let herself be pushed around and what it would be like when she bite back.

But that could also be tested later, when he knew her better and knew that she would try to run or avoid him if he did push her. Until then, he'd keep having his fun.

Because if the pattern was right, now it was his turn to seek her out. The museum encounter had been little over a week ago and he'd found that he really didn't want to go anymore than a week without at least seeing her if he didn't have to. And since he didn't have any official business or police work to see to, he was more than happy to search her out once more.

It was a week day – Thursday to be exact – but after three, so there was a slim chance she'd be at the school. It was nearing four-thirty which meant she probably had classes to get to, she did say that time was when her classes started. But she hadn't said when they ended and he decided it would most likely be hours before they did and he wasn't willing to wait that long.

One of the things Sasuke had mentioned in passing at one point was where Sakura attended college. All it would take was some timing and a bit of fast driving. Not necessarily anything ticket worthy, but not the speed limit either.

He was there twenty minutes before the time her classes started; he figured it best to be on the safe side. He got out of his care and kept an eye on the entrance to the parking lot, there was only one – parking lot, that is – since it was a relatively small college. And students who lived on campus didn't use this area, which meant she was more likely to show up here and all he had to do was wait.

And not very long either because within five or so minutes, her car pulled into through the same entrance he had, parking the row opposite of where he stood and a few cars down. He watched as she got out of the driver's seat after turning off the engine and then she opened the back door to get her bag and books. And just like that she was already heading toward the building, pressing a button on a little remote that made the car give off a responding noise.

With ease he crossed the road and feel into step with her.

He could tell he'd startled her when she jerked her head upwards, her face masked in surprise. "Itachi, as good as it is to see you again, I'm beginning to think your stalking me." Her tone was light and he knew she was joking.

He smiled down at her, "Oh, Sakura, I assure you that I am."

She stopped walking, the humor draining from her face. "You were joking, right?"

He'd come to a halt only a step after she had, turning to her he shook his head, smile still in place. "No."

Her wariness came back full force – she was so delightfully expressive – as she took a faltering step back.

He took a nonchalant step forward, "You see, Sakura. You interest me, and I'd love to find out more."

She paused then, her countenance for once becoming unreadable. He almost frowned at the sight, but she didn't take any more steps back and soon his mere inches away from her. Blinking, clearly surprised at his closeness, but she still didn't back down. She took a deep breath and looked him right in the eye. "Itachi, I think you've got the wrong girl. I'm just a teacher and student, both very boring things."

He raised an eyebrow.

She quickly tacked on, "And even more busying."

Did she think that would deter him?

She seemed to realize that answer to that and so continued on. "We've haven't even spent much time together. We meet not even two months ago and have only even scene about ten minutes of each other." She shook her head.

He almost blinked, she didn't remember him. But it was a long time ago and she was still a kid at the time. "We've known each other a lot longer than that, Sakura."

She paused, looking bewildered.

"We met when you were still in elementary school. I'm Sasuke's elder brother, remember?" He didn't like the fact that he had to remind her of who he was by using his relation with Sasuke, but as long as it allowed him to get to know this small woman better then it didn't matter.

She was quiet and he could tell she was searching her memory for the truth of his statement. And then she froze, he smiled. Good, another protest shot down. He wondered how many more she had.

But then he saw irritation and anger flair to life in her eyes and it had him backpedaling to find the reason why such a countenance was on her face now. She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at the floor. "I'm soo going to kick Ino's ass once I get a hold of her. Not to mention Naruto and Sasuke." He could see the gears turning in her head as she began plotting.

To be honest, such attitude surprised him. She'd come off so docile and shy that he had forgotten she was capable of more devious and quick tempered actions.

Huffing she finally looked back up at him. "I'm sorry, Itachi. I am interested in getting to know you better as well, but I've already got a lot on my plate as is."

He opened his mouth to intervene, to tell her to make room or he would because he wasn't going away for such a simply excuse.

"Not now at least."

He immediately caught the implication. "Then when?"

She paused, the deviousness back in her eyes. Whatever she had planned was not going to bode well for his little brother and said brother's friends. "Perhaps after I get back at my precious siblings."

He shook his head, he wouldn't wait for that. "That's not an adequate reason, Sakura."

She smiled, "No, your right it's not. But I can think of a few ways to remedy that."

And for the first time since they'd started these serious of encounters, she'd broken the chain. This time, he was left to watch her skirt him as he tried to figure out what she meant.

He smirked and headed back for his car. Oh this would be fun. And he would enjoy to every minute of it.


	25. 32 I: Acronyms

**Title:** Moments in Time: A Close Up

**Author:** AppleL0V3R

**Beta-reader:** Terror-Of-The-Crimson-Night

**Fandom: **Naruto

**Pairing:** Uchiha, Itachi and Haruno, Sakura

**Chapter: **Twenty-Five – #32 I: Acronyms

**Rating:** T

**Type:** One-shot – Complete

**Summary:** Prompts from Moments in Time that I was requested to expand on. 25. 32 – I: Acronyms. One of these days she was going to get back at Ino, but that wasn't until after she dealt with Itachi

**Word Count:** 3,305

**Disclaimer:** If you've heard of it before, then it's obviously not mine.

**Note:** As the summary states these were skits I was asked to turn into actually works. I will always put which one it was and the skit just before the chapter. They won't be in numerical order because I'm doing them as I'm requested. They won't be any more than one-shots though they may become two to five –shots (I will forewarn when that happens) but they won't become stories unless I choose to.

**Request by:** Anime Freak456

..:Xx0o0xX:..

32. I (Sakura)

"H is for Happy."

"Ino, this game is stupid."

"No, it's fun and it's distracting. This way we don't get bored of what's outside the car and fall asleep."

"Then, play it with yourself. I'm driving."

"Then it's not fun. Your turn."

Sigh. "Fine. I is for…Itachi."

Silence.

"Itachi? As in that totally hot senior?"

"Your turn."

"After you answer my question."

More silence. Huff. "Yes that Itachi."

Silence.

"What?"

"Why'd his name come to your head?"

Shrug.

"Why?"

"Because he's Sasuke's brother."

"Why?"

"Ino."

"Why?"

"Because…were dating?"

"Liar."

Sigh. "Why is that a lie?"

"Because it was a question."

"Okay fine, because I really _really_ like him."

"Why?"

"…it's a long story."

"Which you're going to tell me."

"Your turn."

"J is for Jury."

..:Xx0o0xX:..

Sakura resisted the urge to stretch. It had been a long day – fun, but long all the same – and she was more than ready to just sleep. Especially since it was already night time with the moon high in the sky, so bright and full. It helped for navigation, she had to admit. She focused on the road though, they'd just started driving about fifteen minutes ago but they still had at least another hour to drive.

Ino was the only other person in the car and the perky blonde looked as exhausted as Sakura felt. But at least she was staying awake, the rosette didn't know how long that would last but she was thankful for the simple companionship that the almost young woman represented anyway. The reason why Sakura was driving – and would be driving the whole way – was because she was the only completely sober one of the two.

Somehow Ino had talked her into going to a party, again. She wasn't really sure how considering the house had been so far away from both girls' homes and Sakura knew that Ino didn't like to leave parties until way after midnight. She supposed the only thing that had made her finally decide to go was Ino herself. And Ino had used that like she did every time. What happens if I get drunk, you know I'm bound to, then what? What if some guy takes advantage me in my drunken state? What if I try to drive home? Or, what if I go home with him? And so Sakura had sighed and nodded which led to Ino squealing far too loudly.

But as usual, Ino didn't get wasted. Very, very tipsy, yes, but not completely drunk because Ino wasn't that irresponsible, but they were seniors in high school so she wasn't exactly responsible either. That's what Sakura was for, as the blonde loved to say.

So here she was, carting her best friend home at some hour of the early morning and wanting nothing more than to just pass out. At least she didn't have school the next day, that would just be horrendous and she knew Ino would most likely skip while Sakura was stuck walking around like a zombie all day.

Sakura glanced at Ino out of the corner of her eye and smiled at how comfortable and at ease the teen looked.

"How about we play a game."

She nearly sighed wishing suddenly that the blonde was asleep. "What game?"

"Umm, the alphabet one."

Sakura raised her eyebrow and stated sarcastically, "Yeah, that narrows it down."

Ino huffed and crossed her arms, "The one where you have to think of something that starts with a letter, like a is for apple. You know?"

Unfortunately, she did. And she really didn't want to play because she was in no mood to, but that reasoning wouldn't work with Ino. She thought about telling her to make it challenging, it was easy to come up with a word for any given letter, after all. But she was too tired to care and she figured the faster they went through the words the quicker the not so sober young woman shut up.

"You start." Of course Ino would say that, it meant that she was making sure that the driver wouldn't back out. Sakura remained silent a moment and kept her mostly open green eyes focused on the road. Not because she couldn't think of anything, but because she was deliberating on something. "A is for…Anatomy." And then wondered how many letters it would take for her to catch on, or for Sakura to get bored. The former would probably come first. Not that Ino wasn't bright, the girl was like a mastermind when she wanted to be, but in this situation she was pretty much the stereotype of the drop dead gorgeous blonde and popular cheerleader.

"B is for Bee"

"C is for Cheerleader."

Ino blinked at her as if trying to figure out if that meant something. And though it did, Sakura would rather the blonde try to puzzle out if there was – let alone what it was – in that foggy mind of her because it meant a bit of silence. Eventually she shook her head, tussled, no longer tied back platinum moving a little as she did so and the rosette knew that meant she'd given up. "D is for Dear."

"E is for Excursion."

Now the pretty blonde pursed her lips, but continued on all the same. "F is for Fun."

Sakura tried not to smile; Ino was catching on faster than she'd originally thought her best friend would. "G is for Game." But she was already bored.

"H is for Happy." Or not. Clearly the blonde had just been choosing random words, which meant this was back to meaningless. And Sakura didn't want to do it.

"Ino, this game is stupid."

"No, it's fun and it's distracting. This way we don't get bored of what's outside the car and fall asleep." And while Ino had a point, Sakura simply wasn't in the mood. She didn't feel like being playful anymore, the only part was that her best friend was tenacious when she wanted to be.

"Then, play it with yourself. I'm driving." Was her rebuttal.

"Then it's not fun. Your turn." Persistent little…

Sigh. "Fine. I is for…Itachi." Sakura wanted to slap her hand over her mouth because of what she'd just said. It had been a mindless reply and now she couldn't take it back. Nor would she live it down, at least not until Ino feel asleep and forgot this conversation had existed in the first place.

Silence came from the younger teen's side of the vehicle for a few moments. "Itachi? As in that totally hot senior?"

"Your turn." Sakura stated firmly, wishing she'd never budged in the first place and now determined to not do so again.

"After you answer my question." But this was Ino, and no matter how steely the rosette tried to make herself to her demands, it never worked.

More silence. Huff. "Yes, that Itachi."

Silence.

"What?"

"Why'd his name come to your head?" Ino was staring at her intently, burning holes in the side of her face, she could feel it. And it made her want to rub the skin to get rid of the sensation.

She tried to shrug the question off, hoping for some kind of salvation from this mess. Because she was still tired, it was still already early morning and getting later and she still didn't want to play this game.

"Why?" Sakura groaned inwardly, knowing where this was going for certain, now. Though she'd been completely aware before, she'd simply hoped that she wasn't right. And when it came to Ino, she always hated it when she was right, especially about things like this.

"Because he's Sasuke's brother." It was an easy reason.

"Why?" So of course Ino wouldn't take it.

"Ino." She double checked the gas tank when a stray glance told her she needed to find a gas station soon.

"Why?"

"Because…were dating?" Oh boy did she wish.

"Liar." Even drunk she could still call Sakura on such things. It was a mystery that the pink haired teen had yet to figure out because few others could catch so easily in a lie.

Sigh. "Why is that a lie?"

"Because it was a question." Well, crap, it had been, hadn't it?

"Okay fine, because I really _really_ like him." The truth usually got the blonde of her back.

"Why?" She was beginning to hate that word.

"…it's a long story."

"Which you're going to tell me." Had she mentioned that Ino was irritatingly persistent?

"Your turn." A sign for break stops at the next exit.

"J is for Jury."

She was tempted to shriek. instead she settled for "If you remember this conversation tomorrow then I'll tell you."

She pouted, "Not fair."

"Really? I think it's very fair." She scooted over onto the diverging lane and within a minute or two was pulling up to the pump of some random gas station. There was only one other car - black and definitely expensive - near the pumps.

It was strikingly familiar but she pushed that thought aside when she realize she couldn't place it. Slipping out of her seat with Ino following clumsily behind.

She quickly headed for the glass door, pulling it open and letting Ino in before she followed. Ino made a bee line for the beverages, most likely to get an energy drink. Which she so didn't need, but she'd already tried one too many times to know the outcome of that would only end in a headache for her.

She went to grab some coffee, enough to tide her over until she got home and could crash without worrying about having but either female in danger.

When she was done filling up the cup and had just put a lid on it and stepped back when she bumped into someone. "Oops." she muttered, "Sorry."

She turned to see who she'd run into, only to come face to face with pretty dull black eyes. "Hello, Sakura." He greeted softly, inclining his head slightly.

She forced herself to not stare as she backed up away from him for space. For one reason or another she could never seem to think clearly around him. "Hey, Itachi. Long time no see."

She noticed Sasuke was just one isle over and realized why she recognized the car. It was Sasuke's.

What was he doing all the way out here at this time? And why with Sasuke's car. She glanced at said boy again - more to have somewhere else to look then at Itachi, there was a reason why girls didn't get close to their crushes after all - and realized he looked very sleepy. Like the walking dead.

She gestured to him curiously but Itachi didn't even glance at his younger brother. "He fell asleep during the party - his party - and so I opted to drive him home."

She started to nod and then froze, "Wait the party that started at like eight, north of here..."

"That explains why you're here at this hour."

She nodded, "Yeah, my best friend talked me into going with her. More like guilt tripped - I'm the responsible one between us and she's always used that to her benefit."

He nodded, skirting around her to grab some coffee as well.

She was about to bid him goodbye because if Ino didn't have what she wanted by now then she needed to be checked up on. As cautious as Sakura was, Ino could - and had on multiple occasions - fallen asleep out in the open in the dark. If she was comfortable and she wanted to, she could.

But before she could even turn around or open her mouth, arms wrapped around her neck as something slammed into her back.

The culprit laughed loudly in her ear and Sakura tried not to wince at how much it hurt. "Ha, I've tackle-glomped you!"

"Ino." Sakura said warningly, "I love you too, but would you please get off my back?"

Unfortunately, her choice of words only made the girl hold tighter causing her to cringe. "I love you tooo~"

Was the alcohol finally affecting her? Before she could Sasuke moseyed over and Ino? Ino needed to learn how to shut up because she went completely quiet and still for a moment and then, "OMG! You're Itachi! As in the incredibly hot senior who Sakura has a crush on!" Pointing and all.

Honestly, right then all she wanted to do was crawl into some hole and wish this night had never happened.

She couldn't meet Itachi's eyes, she couldn't even look at his face as she ducked to had hers because it felt like it was on fire. "She's drunk." Sakura said, as if trying to excuse away the blonde's shout.

Sasuke was clearly awake now as he stepped forward to retrieve her sister from the pinkette's back, she was grateful for this fact. And even more so because she remembered that Sasuke - as dead as he currently looked - had a massive crush on Ino. One that could rival the green eyed female's for the eldest Uchiha.

She could feel his stare burn into the crown of her head even as she heard Ino protest drunkenly - yes the alcohol was definitely setting in - while Sasuke managed to get her far enough away to be out of earshot.

She fidgeted, "Honest, Ino's completely drunk and-"

She stopped talking abruptly when she felt hands on her hips. "-telling the truth?"

She swallowed and nodded, feeling like her face was going to burn off. "I had suspected and have been wondering for sometime when you would speak up."

Her head jerked up as she looked at him with wide big green eyes. "W-what?"

He met her gaze evenly and nonchalantly. "Because now, I can do this." He leaned down and kissed her.

Her mind blanked for a heart stuttering moment before it went into overdrive. As in freaked out on her. If her brain activity could be put into a picture it would be a bunch of chibi miniatures of her running around screaming like headless chicken as the area of them looked like a tornado had gone through it.

And after a high comes a crash. When he pulled away, she was still stunned into complete and utter stillness as her brain had a meltdown.

This wasn't fair! Crushes were not supposed to wipe out all brain function, kick it into overdrive and then fry it. That went against the laws of nature anyway.

She swore that the laws of physics should be rewritten because they liiiied.

There was a smug smirk on his face, "Do I have to wait or can I ask you to be my girlfriend now?"

She nodded dumbstruck. He liked her too! She took back all the mean things she'd ever said about Ino, she loved her. Loved her, loved her, loved her. And her mind so wasn't built to take in situations like this at this time. "I would love to be your girlfriend."

His smirk widened and was it her or did his eyes just darken? "Good." His voice was a soft murmur that overloaded her sense of hearing. If she could then she would love to spend all day listening to him speak like that. But then she wouldn't be able to kiss him all day. Hmmm, what a dilemma. She supposed she could alternate in accordance to what appealed to her most. Yeah, that was a good idea, if only the world worked like that.

But then he was kissing her again as he brought her closer. This time she kissed back.

Until: "OMG! Sakura! That's not fair, if I can't do PDA then - mmphm."

Thank you Sasuke, was all she could think. For five seconds.

..:Xx0o0xX:..

The Next Day.

Ino groaned as she rolled over in bed. She knew her own bed so well that she also knew that this was Sakura's. But she knew that more or less because it smelled like Sakura.

After a moment she took a deep breath and slowly sat up. Her head immediately began to throb and she almost let herself fall back into a horizontal position. But she knew from experience that it would only make things worse. So carefully trying to stifle parts of the pain she pushed away the feather filled comforter and slid to the edge of the bed. She shivered with the her cold feet touched the floor.

Groaning again she pushed herself to her feet.

And then made a beeline for Sakura's bathroom that was directly across the hall without really looking where she was going. It was times like these that she was thankful that she practically lived here because she wouldn't have to take the time to kill her eyes with the light.

But no matter how much one knew a living space, knowing where the people who inhabited it were without even bothering to check didn't usually end well. She crashed straight into someone who she was fairly certain was Sakura. She was the only well conditioned female who entered this house that was shorter than Ino.

She felt a hand reach out and grab her arm so as to steady her. "I'm never ever touching alcohol ever again." She complained as she leaned forward, relying on Sakura to hold her weight.

She heard the older girl snort, "Sure you will Ino."

"I will!" the blue eyed girl cried indignantly because this _hurt_. Stupid alcohol. Stupid brain. Stupid memory. "Wait, did something happen last night?"

"You got drunk." Came the dry reply.

She shook her head, tussled and completely disheveled blonde hair went everywhere. "Nooo, I mean on the drive home."

There was a pause. "You got a confession out of me and demanded to know the back story of it and I told you that if you could remember what we talked about without me prompting you then I'd spill my guts."

Ino paused trying desperate to remember because if Sakura had confessed to something that Ino _hadn't_ known then it was bound to be a very juicy piece of gossip.

She stood for a moment, and tried to open her eyes to analyze her responsible sister. What could Sakura possible have to confess about?

And then with still blurry and depth impaired vision she saw distinctly masculine arms wrap around her single best friend. Single. But the way the rosette's checks quickly began to match her hair as a guy curled his body around her from behind. In the hallway and kissed the other girl's cheek spoke to Ino in volumes.

Hungover or not. "You're not single anymore!" Sakura nodded still blushing.

Ino couldn't help but wonder, "Sakura...are you still a virgin?"


	26. 33 Orange: Colorblind

**Title:** Moments in Time: A Close Up

**Author:** AppleL0V3R

**Beta-reader:** Terror-Of-The-Crimson-Night

**Fandom:** Naruto

**Pairing:** Uchiha, Itachi and Haruno, Sakura

**Chapter:** Twenty-Six – #33 Orange: Colorblind

**Rating:** T

**Type:** One-shot – Complete

**Summary:** Prompts from Moments in Time that I was requested to expand on. 26. 33 – Orange: Colorblind. Sakura was still every bit as beautiful as always even when she was completely orange.

**Word Count:** 1300

**Disclaimer:** If you've heard of it before, then it's obviously not mine.

**Note:** As the summary states these were skits I was asked to turn into actually works. I will always put which one it was and the skit just before the chapter. They won't be in numerical order because I'm doing them as I'm requested. They won't be any more than one-shots though they may become two to five –shots (I will forewarn when that happens) but they won't become stories unless I choose to.

**Request by:** Anime Freak456

..:Xx0o0xX:..

33. Orange (Itachi)

"I'm going to kill him. Or make him suffer severely first."

Itachi chuckled. Knowing exactly who the offending 'him' was. "You'd be miserable afterwards."

"Itachi. I'm _orange_." He nodded, still completely amused. But with her temper as high as it was, it would be best to let it play out. "Are you sure you don't want to…postpone the marriage?"

Then again, she didn't always think through everything that came out of her mouth. Immediately, he was next to her, pulling her to her feet from the chair she sat in. She was in a tank top and shorts. "No postponing. You can almost kill him later. Tonight. Enjoy yourself."

Her green eyes had widened before softening. Leaning up she kissed him, "Sounds like a plan."

..:Xx0o0xX:..

Sakura wasn't all that big on mushy things. Sure, she was overly affectionate at times, but that was just who she was. But this was different. This was supposed to be perfect – or as close to it as she could get. And why? Because it was her _wedding_ and it was supposed to be one of the most memorable days of her life. And with all the extensive planning she had done, all the help she'd gotten and all the work she'd put it, it had been looking like nothing could go wrong.

And then everything did.

She supposed she had somehow jinxed it but that didn't change facts. At first it had been small, but one thing after another happened and eventually it snowballed into such a huge mess. And now as she sat in the chair in front of her vanity, the wedding less then an hour away, she realized this was going to be memorable for all the wrong reasons.

"I'm going to kill him. Or make him suffer severely first."

Itachi chuckled. Knowing exactly who the offending 'him' was. "You'd be miserable afterwards."

"Itachi. I'm _orange_." And she meant orange. Her hair was orange, her skin was orange and her pretty supposed to be pure white dress was orange. It was infuriating…and there was simply no way she was walking down the isle like this. It simply wasn't going to happen. And besides, she knew her family would remember this fondly even if it took her some time to do so as well, but Itachi's entire extended family would be there. And boy was there a lot of them and she was pretty sure that with exception of Itachi's immediate family and like two others, they would all disapprove greatly. Not only would it make things completely awkward for forever when she was in there company and as part of the family she would be just as much as Itachi, but this would impact Itachi negatively as well. Not to mention that she didn't want him to look back and remember her not as she was, but as an orange freak of nature – the pink was bad enough as it was at times.

So she took a deep breath and looked him straight in the eye. "Are you sure you don't want to…postpone the marriage?" She would blame him if he said yes, what was the difference between today and a few weeks from now time-wise anyway?

And before she knew it, he was next to her, pulling her to her feet from the chair she sat in. She was in nothing but a tank top and shorts, it was supposed to be bad luck for the groom to see the bride in her dress just before the wedding and quite frankly, she didn't need any more bad luck. His black eyes were sharp and intent, something she was all too familiar with and most of the time loved how it turned her to jell-o at the very sight of it. "No postponing. You can almost kill him later. Tonight. Enjoy yourself."

Her green eyes had widened before softening. This is why she loved Itachi – her Itachi – because though most saw him as serious and cold, she knew that at times he could be even more sentimental than her and he always knew exactly what to say right when she needed to hear it.

Leaning up she whispered softly, "Sounds like a plan." And then kissed him.

He kissed her back, his arms wrapping themselves around her lower back in a tight embrace as they rocked slightly and slowly. His kiss was light but firm and gentle but dominant. It made her knees give out and her insides turned to liquid. She couldn't help but marvel that even after so long his kisses still affected her so strongly. And that's why she was marrying him. Because he made her feel, he made her everything she'd always wanted to be. Sakura smiled against his lips and wrapped her arms securely around his neck, completely depending on him to keep her on her feet.

He did so with ease even when he pulled back, his dark eyes still iron with their intent. He didn't even pause as he started to pull away – and ignored the noises of protest she made – and push her towards the chair where her dress was. "Good. Get dressed then and don't even think about having second thoughts about going through with this today."

She rolled her pretty green eyes – at least they weren't orange also – and nodded. "Alright, then I guess you should go."

He tilted his head questioningly but then nodded not even a second later. Clearly whatever question he'd had, he had answered as well. And with one last feather kiss across her cheek, he turned and exited the room, shutting the door with an audible click behind him.

That was the man she was marrying today. That was the man she'd spend the rest of her life with. That was the man she would always, _always_ love. And she couldn't be happier, especially with the strange knowledge that she hadn't wanted to postpone the marriage because she'd gotten cold feet. But because she'd wanted it to be perfect for the both of them. She wondered what that meant for their future together before ultimately deciding that it boded well. Really well, and she hoped that it was right.

She glanced down at the dress in her hand – the pretty one that had been the perfect shade white – and set it down. She slid off her current clothing and easily tugged the dress up her body until she was comfortable in it.

Despite the fact that she was completely orange except for her eyes, and it made her look like a freak, she was pretty sure that Itachi would be there, right beside her to make this all completely worth it. It would be an amusing story for their kids if nothing else.

And then she would kill Naruto.


	27. 38 Unity: Improvise

**Title:** Moments in Time: A Close Up

**Author:** AppleL0V3R

**Beta-reader:** Terror-Of-The-Crimson-Night

**Fandom:** Naruto

**Pairing:** Uchiha, Itachi and Haruno, Sakura

**Chapter:** Twenty-Seven – #38 Unity: Improvise

**Rating:** T

**Type:** One-shot – Complete

**Summary:** Prompts from Moments in Time that I was requested to expand on. 27. 38 – Unity: Improvise. Not every plan worked the way it was supposed to. Especially not when Itachi was part of it.

**Word Count:** 1,480

**Disclaimer:** If you've heard of it before, then it's obviously not mine.

**Note:** As the summary states these were skits I was asked to turn into actually works. I will always put which one it was and the skit just before the chapter. They won't be in numerical order because I'm doing them as I'm requested. They won't be any more than one-shots though they may become two to five –shots (I will forewarn when that happens) but they won't become stories unless I choose to.

And as for the whole time-space continuum rambling in this chapter, please don't ask. If you are confused, I am sorry, just write it off as part of the story and Sakura's mind going haywire because I don't really know how to explain it. My brain feels kind of broken today as is and I'm not exactly feeling well (stupid stomach) but I'm immeasurably happy about all the feedback, so this is my excuse for the rambling and other nonsensical content in here.

**Request by:** Anime Freak456

..:Xx0o0xX:..

38. Unity (Sakura)

United we stand, divided we fall.

A simple strategy that most knew instinctively. She wished they had kept to it. When they'd finally found what could possibly be Akatsuki's lair, one of the three teams chosen to infiltrate had been team 7. It made sense of course, but they had decided with all the hallways to split up and if one of them found anything they would alert the others.

She'd run into Uchiha, Itachi. And realized that there was no way she could keep to the plan. It was impossible.

Later she'd be thankful of it. Always remembering that moment. Sometimes with anger and sometimes with fondness. It had, after all, started everything.

Now, though, all she could do was stare, frozen and unmoving.

..:Xx0o0xX:..

The three of them stood at the west entrance. As far as they knew – but they were pretty sure they knew enough – there was only three entrances and thus three teams. One person would wait at each entrance while the other rest would explore into the maze that they were mostly certain was an Akatasuki lair, and with it's size it was possible the headquarters as well. Out of her team they'd decided that it would be Sai and Sakura to scope it out while Naruto waited at the entrance. They wouldn't take any chances.

But as Sai and Sakura encountered so many hallways they finally decided it would be easier and more efficient to split up and if one of them found anything they would alert the others. If not, then they would meet back up with Naruto in three hour's time.

What a horrible idea.

Not to long after she'd split up with the artist, taking to the east while he covered the west, she'd run into a small problem.

If small meant a huge gapping problem that could potentially mean the end of her, then yeah it was a small problem indeed.

She'd run into Uchiha, Itachi. And realized that there was no way she could keep to the plan. It was impossible. Because who could truly escape this man in time? She knew instinctively she wasn't strong enough, not fast enough, the only thing she had right now as bravery. And she was fairly certain that wouldn't get her very far this time around.

Not to mention the fact that she was completely isolated and there was no telling where Sai was and she knew she was a good few kilometers inside the tunnels so its not like she could easily reach Naruto either.

And so, she was effectively trapped.

She tried to show as little as emotion as possible while shoving down her raising fear and panic as best she could. For all she knew, this could be a diversion, just a clone and not the real thing. But she knew instinctively that this was indeed the real Itachi and underestimating him was the worst mistake to even think about making.

Well crap.

Now what should she do? What _could_ she do?

If she got out of this alive she was going to firmly stick to the idea of 'united we stand, divided we fall' and she was going to spend more time in the hospital and less time complaining about not getting enough missions or making any kind of difference. Because as if right now, she was pretty sure that didn't matter any more anyway.

Later she'd be thankful of it. Always remembering that moment. Sometimes with anger and sometimes with fondness. It had, after all, started everything.

Now, though, all she could do was stare, frozen and unmoving.

After a moment of him staring at her with intense blank eyes he took an easy step forward. She tried not to flinch at the motion and another wave of panic flooded through her, but still she could move. Couldn't back up because the fear had frozen her solid, she couldn't even shake with the force of it. His crimson gaze stayed trained on her as he took yet another step. And then another and another and another. Soon enough he'd traversed the distance with her still frozen to the muscle like a scared rabbit under the wolf's gaze as it stalked forward. Slowly, easily.

As if he had all the time in the world.

And her? She was pretty sure she no longer had any.

But she waited for what seemed like an eternity. Her sense of time was warped and misplaced right now, besides it was a human invention of sorts and she could give a damn less if it was working right or not. In fact, she almost wished it didn't because then maybe it would give her enough time – scratch that, more like leeway because she was done with time – to figure out how to get out of this mess. But does the world listen to one young teenager already on a short lifespan because of her career choice? No. Because if it did, then the world would not be fair and balanced and screwed up anymore, it would be the opposite.

Was there an opposite to being both sides of the story and even middle ground?

Huh.

Well, that's why the world wasn't supposed to be turned upside down – if that was possible – because the impossibility of it would be too chaotic. Or at least more so than a right side up – it is right side up, right? – world.

But that was all theology and philosophy and right then she realized she was using it to stall her otherwise useless mind. But even though she was aware of that fact, what made her stop thinking such thoughts was not the realization of them but rather the fact that time had finally slammed back into focus and they were no longer relevant.

Because he was right there. Not like in front of her right there, he was but it was more like _right there_ as in his face was centimeters away.

He kept staring straight into her eyes so intently and she was still frozen. She was really beginning to curse herself.

And then he tilted his head. His hair shifted to be pulled by gravity but didn't move much. She could only watch with apprehension and anxiety as she wondered what he would do. Kill her, surely. She was after all somewhere she shouldn't be. But she didn't want to die, she wasn't even sure if she could look death in the eye like this. She preferred to stick with slamming her face in it and then running.

Not that that was an option now.

His hand came up and she tensed even further. Her body was held so tight and straight she felt like any sudden move would cause her to break like glass. But all he did was settle long fingers and a slightly cold hand against the back of her neck. And press.

She faintly heard him whisper, "Wrong place, Sakura. But you won't get a warning."

But she was already falling forward before she could even begin to comprehend his words or the implications and obviousness of it. Her vision went black as her eyes slipped shut against her will. She felt herself thud against his upper body as his arm dropped to wrap around her waist. But that was it. Because everything else was gone then, too.


	28. 9 Kinky: Quirks

**Title:** Moments in Time: A Close Up

**Author:** AppleL0V3R

**Beta-reader:** Terror-Of-The-Crimson-Night

**Fandom:** Naruto

**Pairing:** Uchiha, Itachi and Haruno, Sakura

**Chapter:** Twenty-Eight – #9 Kinky: Quirks

**Rating:** T

**Type:** One-shot – Complete

**Summary:** Prompts from Moments in Time that I was requested to expand on. 28. 9 – Kinky: Quirks. Sakura was aware that Itachi could be kinky when he wanted to. Ino pointing it out hadn't helped.

**Word Count:** 1,680

**Disclaimer:** If you've heard of it before, then it's obviously not mine.

**Note:** As the summary states these were skits I was asked to turn into actually works. I will always put which one it was and the skit just before the chapter. They won't be in numerical order because I'm doing them as I'm requested. They won't be any more than one-shots though they may become two to five –shots (I will forewarn when that happens) but they won't become stories unless I choose to.

**Request by:** Teenage Crisis

..:Xx0o0xX:..

9. Kinky (Itachi)

"I bet you, that boyfriend of yours gets off on more then a little bit of kinky."

Sakura blushed "Ino!"

And he had to restrain himself from showing just how kinky he could be.

Ino grinned. "What? You know I'm right."

"I don't see how it's any of your business." She didn't deny either statement though and because of it he couldn't help the feeling that welled inside.

Blue eyes glinted wickedly. "You didn't say he wasn't your boyfriend."

The rosette froze in her tracks. Squeaking out a "So?"

"And girl code makes it my business."

His little spitfire scowled.

Unable to stop himself, Itachi swooped in, pulling her into him before teleporting to her bedroom. "What was that about kinky?"

Emerald eyes wide open.

..:Xx0o0xX:..

Yamanaka, Ino was more than persistent when she wanted to be. But she was also the biggest gossip in Konoha, so best friend or not, Sakura had learned how to keep her mouth shut when she didn't want anyone knowing something. But that's where the rosette's self-proclaimed sister's determination came in. If the pretty blonde couldn't get it out of Sakura, she usually had other sources she could use and one of them was bound to give her something.

So Sakura really hadn't been all that surprised when Ino came to her at four forty in the morning – when Sakura had to be up in less than two hours to get to work but hadn't gotten to sleep less than three hours before hand – and demanded to know why Sakura hadn't even bothered to mention that she was dating Uchiha, Itachi. The blonde interrogator had had that look on her face that said 'I can't believe you, you will pay for this' with her fists shoved into her hips. The young doctor had merely sighed as she rubbed her eyes in an attempt to stay awake as she sat up, but the annoyance at the entire situation had already kicked in before it had set in as she pushed her nice warm and cozy comforter down around her waist and finally met Ino's eyes with her still groggy green ones.

"We aren't dating." Was all she had to say, because that's all that was necessary.

Ino wasn't buying it though, "That's not what I hear."

Sakura sighed again, "Ino, I thought you of all people would know to take everything you hear with a pinch of salt."

"Not about this kind of thing."

Sakura frowned, pursing her lips but didn't retort.

Ino took that as a cue to keep going. "Come on, Forehead Girl. There is no way that anyone would get such information wrong, you two are like seriously politically important people in Konoha. Everyone knows who you are, so if my sources are absolutely certain that the two of you are dating, then I'm more than inclined to believe it."

"Of course you are." Sakura muttered, irritated. She was being kept from her precious sleep for this. _This_ of all things. She vowed to get Ino back for this because she simply was not going to take this kind of abuse of her beauty sleep. It was the one thing Sakura could claim as completely hers – with the exception of her boyfriend of course, but she even had to share him with the village and his family – and she did not appreciate it being interrupted. Especially after the very tiring week she had. She almost wished she had Itachi to curl up to at that moment, but that would only prove Ino's point and so it was probably a good thing he was currently on a mission.

Sakura really didn't care if the village knew she and Itachi were dating, in fact she wanted all the girls to know he was taken. And she was aware that Itachi wanted the exact same thing, especially with that possessive streak of his, but he also wanted the time to set up everything with his family so that their lives together could go as smoothly as any other shinobi couple's.

So she fell back into bed and rolled on her side, turning her back to the persistent and irritating blonde. She then proceeded to rearrange the blankets to her liking even as she knew Ino was gapping at her audacity.

"Forehead Girl."

"Go away Ino. I'm not having this discussion right now because I'm a perfectly sane person who actually _likes_ to sleep at such times of the morning when I don't have to be awake." Once she's comfortable she closes her eyes. What Ino does from there, she really doesn't care because she's already managed to fall into the deep embracing arms of sleep. And dreams of her honey.

..:Xx0o0xX:..

Sakura was thankful that Ino had decided that she would get the whole story before she began blabbing it to anyone else. But at the same time, the rosette knew that meant she would be even more relentless to get it out of her because she wanted to say something. Which meant that one of them was going to crack before long and she hoped Itachi would be back before then so that she could speak to him on the matter.

He'd been leaning more and more towards letting the village finally become aware of their relationship as the weeks passed but he had yet to actually bring the subject up with her. And she simply didn't want to overstep boundaries or complicate things that otherwise didn't need to be.

And he did, he returned a week or so after that conversation in the middle of the early morning. She was so relieved and ecstatic to have him home that she hadn't bothered to think of a cover when Ino turned a suspicious eye on her – one that turned into s mischievous gleam – as she openly stated that she looked giddy in front of Naruto and Sasuke. Typical Ino. She was the type of person who didn't get her hands dirty when she knew that other people would do so unknowingly for her.

So as she had figured they would while she groaned inside, both boys turned to her with curious and expectant eyes as they asked if that was true – Sasuke – and why – Naruto. She almost sighed too, when she realized that she didn't have any valid reason at hand. She'd shrugged her shoulders and smiled telling them that yes it was but more or less because that day was a really good day. It had left both boys confounded and Ino grinning because though she hadn't gotten an out right answer Sakura knew the pretty blonde had a good idea as to why the pink haired konuichi was having a 'really good day'

After the boys had left, both already having forgotten the small detail that Ino had brought up, the konuichi had cornered her. That knowing smile was on her face as she stated casually, "I bet you, that boyfriend of yours gets off on more then a little bit of kinky."

Sakura blushed, "Ino!"

She merely grinned. "What? You know I'm right."

"I don't see how it's any of your business." She bit out harshly in turn, trying to cover up the fact that her red face was only getting redder.

Blue eyes glinted wickedly. "You didn't say he wasn't your boyfriend." was she still going on about her being Itachi's girlfriend? What was she thinking, of course the other female was? It was Ino after all. And then Sakura froze, this time groaning out loud. Sometimes, she really wanted to strangle her best friend for said friend's sly ways of getting what she wanted. Like an affirmation as to if and who the Haruno was dating.

The rosette froze in her tracks. Squeaking out a "So?" Damn it, how in the hell had she fallen for such a simple trap? Now the whole village would know about it by this time tomorrow. Crap, she sincerely hoped she got to Itachi before someone else did about this.

"And girl code makes it my business." Came the smug continuation, as if Ino hadn't even heard her sister.

Sakura scowled but before she could even say anything she found herself engulfed in male arms as she was pulled backwards into the presumed male's chest. And she just barely glimpsed Ino's blue eyes as they went wide in surprise before the medic found herself in a completely different location. Namely her room.

Suddenly the culprit was in front of her, smirking with hot eyes as his face came within centimeters of hers. "What was that about kinky?"

Emerald eyes were wide open. Itachi had kidnapped her to her room right in front of the general public – well not really, but it was in front of Ino and that was tantamount to the same thing. Itachi had heard their entire conversation. Itachi looked like he wanted to jump her.

And then she grinned as she pushed forward slightly, closing the distance between them to kiss him.

"Depends, what qualifies as kinky?"


	29. 48 Think: Wits

**Title:** Moments in Time: A Close Up

**Author:** AppleL0V3R

**Beta-reader:** Terror-Of-The-Crimson-Night

**Fandom:** Naruto

**Pairing:** Uchiha, Itachi and Haruno, Sakura

**Chapter:** Twenty-Nine – #48 Think: Wits.

**Rating:** T

**Type:** One-shot – Complete

**Summary:** Prompts from Moments in Time that I was requested to expand on. 29. 48 – Think: Wits. For them it wasn't just a game, for them it was what mattered most.

**Word Count:** 2,350

**Disclaimer:** If you've heard of it before, then it's obviously not mine.

**Note:** As the summary states these were skits I was asked to turn into actually works. I will always put which one it was and the skit just before the chapter. They won't be in numerical order because I'm doing them as I'm requested. They won't be any more than one-shots though they may become two to five –shots (I will forewarn when that happens) but they won't become stories unless I choose to.

**Request by:** Fuai

..:Xx0o0xX:..

48. Think (Sakura)

Sakura was more inclined to think before she acted, even when her temper was flaring because that just made her even more pone to figuring out the best way to both piss of her opponent and win. She also liked strategy games, she'd been the smartest girl in the class – she hadn't needed to cheat on the chunin exams. She could even give Shikamaru a decent match in both Shogi and Go.

But she wasn't quite on Itachi's level. Now that she thought about it, though, that started this mess. It had started out as differing opinions but it became a game just for fun. And now it was contest the two constantly bet on. They both profited and whoever lost was just that much more ready for another go.

..:Xx0o0xX:..

As a kid, Itachi never really caught her eye. Not the way Sasuke had, that's the way the village worked at that point it seemed. All the girls within three years of Sasuke's age chased after him – granted that they were old enough to do so, even if they didn't understand. It was more a fitting in kind of thing – and the ones older than that fawned over Itachi. It was a pretty simple concept to her and so she stuck to Sasuke. Besides, in class it was usually him, her and Naruto doing assignments together anyway. She figured it gave her the upper hand.

But in reality, all her time around Sasuke had also put her in Itachi's path. Because while she was oblivious to him, he was not so to her. Granted, Itachi's interest in her had been minimal, more curious than anything else. Something that within a few years – when he became an ANBU and then ANBU captain – he would push to the back of his mind, never to think about again.

Not until she started making a name for herself.

And then slowly, he started seeing her a little more, thinking about her a little more. Then, he started remembering that she'd originally had his attention when she was young because even then he'd been sure that one day she would amount to something. Be someone. Someone valuable, someone strong, someone worthwhile.

He'd been right.

Within a few short years, she wasn't just some girl anymore, wasn't just another konuichi. She was the Hokage's apprentice and most trusted advisor, she was Konoha's angel, she was the best medic barring Tsunade herself in all five nations, but most of all she was Haruno, Sakura. And her name was just as well known as his or Uzumaki, Naruto and Uchiha, Sasuke.

And with her steadily gaining popularity among the village folk as well as allied villages, he found himself thinking about her more and more. Speaking to her on more occasions and for longer amounts of time. Somehow, she always had the time to lend an ear to any who wanted or needed it and she always had a smile for any who were willing to earn it, no matter how simply the task could be.

This time around, he wasn't merely curious or partially intrigued, he was hooked. There didn't seem to be a limit for him when it came to her. Especially not when they started this game of sorts that had stemmed from a relatively small disagreement.

He had happened on team seven when they were having a team lunch. Sasuke had spoken to him as he passed and one thing lead to another so he ended up sitting beside Sakura on the left side of the two-seater booths while holding a conversation with the three of them. It had been something about Shogi and he knew at that time he shouldn't have responded to Naruto when the blonde had said that their Sakura-chan was smart enough that she could probably hold her own against even Itachi. But at the time, he had disagreed because no matter how intelligent the young woman was, she was not yet at his level.

This had in turn ruffled said female's feathers as she falsely assumed he was being arrogant in the thought that he couldn't be beat. Before he could correct her mistake with that statement, she'd challenged him to a game of Shogi. He'd paused to think about it, aware that she was the type of person who hated being belittled or thought less of for in reason and was only seeking recognition. But that hadn't quite mattered to him because it meant he would get the chance to see how that bright mind of hers worked up close and personal. And that was something he was not going to pass up if he didn't have to.

Thus the game begun.

When they'd met up later that week, just the two of them in her apartment, he'd won the first game. She'd been irked and sullen at the fact that she'd been so sure that she might have been able to win but had not. He'd smiled faintly and reminded her that her blonde teammate had said that she could 'hold her own', not 'win'. Green eyes had blinked with surprise and then widened when he conceded that she had done quite well, but could do better with a bit of help and more practice.

She had paused at that point and asked warily if by saying that, did he intend to help her. Itachi had not actually thought of that but had readily agreed anyway for the same reason he'd agreed to the game in the first place.

From there they'd started playing whenever they both had the time. Sometimes it was twice a week and other times not even once in two months. But they always played and as she steadily got better, Shogi wasn't the component of their games.

Soon their game encompassed sparing on one of the training fields, arguments over ideals and beliefs and a few other things as well.

This lasted for a good year before he realized that they weren't playing a game anymore. Not when bets started getting introduced to the collage of contests. And when that happened, he found himself getting even closer to the pink haired pixie that he found himself liking. And not just liking in the comrade sense, or the friend sense or any of the platonic ways. No, he found that he liked her romantically. And that's when he knew for sure the game was over.

That's when it morphed into this relationship they had now. Where he was continually trying to coax her into the idea of him courting her with eventuality of them marrying and her dancing around it with a flirty little smile. He was certain though, that like their first game of Shogi, he would win her over.

Something also told him that it would be much longer. He'd seen the tell tale signs of her starting to give in, her resolve staring to break as she started running out of buffers against his advances and the strong walls began to erode as he pushed on the basic ones she'd held stubbornly to. If he was correct, this would be one of their last contests.

This contest in particular was simple in concept. The idea was that he could get her to kiss him – to want to kiss him and want him to kiss back – without any conscious interference on his part.

And by that look on her eye, he'd pretty much won. They had made this bet sometime prior, more or less five weeks ago and he had kept his part of it, doing nothing more than he normally would while in her presence. He hadn't quite been professional if he didn't have to, but Sakura was someone hard to be anything less than friendly with anyway. Over the weeks she'd come close more than once to looking like she wanted to kiss him but for one reason or another – be it interruptions or her catching herself in the act – hadn't.

Now though, there was simply no way they'd be intruded upon and he simply didn't see her remembering both their bet and her resolve. Her face was centimeters away and her green eyes were half lidded as all her weight was being supported by him.

That night had been a bit of a hectic one.

He'd just returned from a two week mission with his team and had been more than ready to get some sleep, but he'd also wanted to see Sakura before he did so. More or less because when he'd seen her before he left, she'd seemed perturbed about something. When he got to her home though, she'd been highly irritated.

Itachi hadn't bothered to knock because he had a personal key into her house, when he entered he found her in the middle of a living room that seemed a hurricane of papers had hit. Her countenance showed her irritation as she was bent over working on what looked to be a file. Black eyes had blinked as he looked for her couch and table, but where they had once been was now littered with papers that just barely covered up burn marks.

Frowning, he carefully picked his way through the mess, if she was irritated it would only make her more so to step on paperwork and he wasn't exactly in the mood to deal with her sharp tongue.

When he was finally behind her, he kneeled so that his knees rested against the floor boards on either side of her crisscrossed legs and his chest brushed against her back with every shifting move. He settled his hands on her shoulders – said body parts tensed immediately at the contact but he paid that no heed – and leaned down until his mouth was at the shell of her ear. "Sakura?"

She sucked in a breath and let it out slowly, the tell tale signs that she liked the feel of his hot breath on her but didn't want to admit it at the moment. "What?" Her tone was irritated, but there was no sharpness.

He smirked, satisfied that he had easily side stepped that problem, now on to the real one. "You weren't at the gates, so I came to find you." There'd been an underlying question to his simple and blunt statement and he knew she would catch it.

Her anger seemed to flare slightly, the heat of it coming off of her in waves, "As you can see and Naruto managed to burn my furniture to charcoal. Have you seen my kitchen? It's worse than in here." She paused to take a frustrated breath as her narrowed green eyes flickered around the surfaces of her small living room that was no long cozy but most certainly lived in. He didn't bother to look at anywhere but her, now that he had the information he'd been subtly seeking he would wait for her to get all of the pent up fury out of her system. "And as crazy as it's driving me, I have paperwork that Shishou put off for too long and is due tomorrow."

He nodded. "Then I suppose I should make my visit quick. Unless you would like some help."

She paused, finally turning her head so as to see him better. Because he was still so close to her, her cheek brushed against his lips and when she was fully facing him, their faces were mere inches apart. Any contemplation she'd been holding between his offer and their eyes meeting seemed to have suddenly fled her brain.

She leaned back only a centimeter or to as her eyes softened became the half lidded look that he was certain would insure his victory in their small bet. He hadn't intended to win it like this, but then again the bet was solely based on her and her reactions and initiatives. He found himself immersed in deep green and long eyelashes and pale skin and he couldn't withhold the smile at the picture she presented.

It widened when she leaned forward, closing the gap to kiss him. Her thin arms came up to wrap around his neck as she put more weight into their kiss. He wasted no time in responding to her as his hands dropped to her hips and he pressed his body more fully against hers as he kissed back. The kiss was long and conveyed a lot of denied passion on her part and allowed him to pour out his after carefully keeping it in check for so long.

When they finally broke apart because of the human need to breath, his smile was still firmly in place and grew even more as he watched her glazed green eyes flutter open and that look stayed on her features for a moment. He could definitely get used to this. And then in drained to be replaced by realization as she groaned in the back of her throat and glared at him.

"Okay fine you win."

He reveled in the triumph for a moment. "Good, then I will pick you up tomorrow at eight."


	30. 58 Excuse: Situations

Title: Moments in Time: A Close Up

Author: AppleL0V3R

Beta-reader: Terror-Of-The-Crimson-Night

Fandom: Naruto

Pairing: Uchiha, Itachi and Haruno, Sakura

Chapter: Thirty – #58 Excuse: Situations.

Rating: T

Type: One-shot – Complete

Summary: Prompts from Moments in Time that I was requested to expand on. 30. 58 – Excuse: Situations. Sakura had a knack for getting in trouble, be it by herself or through another.

Word Count: 2,070

Disclaimer: If you've heard of it before, then it's obviously not mine.

Note: As the summary states these were skits I was asked to turn into actually works. I will always put which one it was and the skit just before the chapter. They won't be in numerical order because I'm doing them as I'm requested. They won't be any more than one-shots though they may become two to five –shots (I will forewarn when that happens) but they won't become stories unless I choose to.

Request by: Fuai and Anime Freak456

..:Xx0o0xX:..

58. Excuse (Sakura)

Sakura's mind scrambled for a reason, an excuse, anything. It kept drawing up blank after blank and she knew if she didn't say something right now, she was going to be in very deep water with the worst person to be in so much trouble with.

She tried hard to stay still under his intense gaze, but she could feel her insides squirm with the pressure. Now, she reminded herself. But when she opened her mouth nothing came out, her voice stuck in her throat. Damn, she cursed inwardly, her mind racing once more for some kind of improvise before she made an even bigger fool of herself.

When nothing came forth immediately, she reacted on instinct and kissed him.

He froze and she escaped.

..:Xx0o0xX:..

If she could help it, she was never ever taking another bet. Especially not with Naruto and Sasuke. So much for overprotective brothers, Ino had the analogy all wrong because they'd thrown her to the wolves on purpose. Actually, they'd thrown her to the tiger, the weasel tiger who hadn't known she existed. But because her boys were idiots and she was confident she could top them, she was now in a very horrible and very awkward situation.

When she got the chance she was going to murder them in the slowest painful way possible and she would enlist both Neji and Ibiki to help her. And revenge would be so sweet that she'd grin victoriously.

But that was a thought for another time because right now she needed to focus.

Because having Uchiha, Itachi right in front of her with those eyes told her that she was in deeper water that she didn't know how to get out of. Not even with quick thinking because there was nothing that her mind could offer up that would actually work. Why? Because the bet was if she could grab some box that Itachi had confiscated from Sasuke and that Sasuke was fairly certain that said box was in Itachi's room. Why the hell had she even contemplated taking such a bet? Because she was just as big of an idiot as her boys were, and just as vengeful.

But for right now…she'd been caught red handed and it wasn't like she could exactly say that she had thought that this was Sasuke's room. She'd been in the Uchiha main house enough times to know how to get to the bathroom from the living room by going through the kitchen in her sleep.

So in essence, she was screwed.

But still, Sakura's mind scrambled for a reason, an excuse, anything. It kept drawing up blank after blank and she knew if she didn't say something right now, she was going to be in very deep water with the worst person to be in so much trouble with.

She tried hard to stay still under his intense gaze, but she could feel her insides squirm with the pressure. Now, she reminded herself. But when she opened her mouth nothing came out, her voice stuck in her throat. Damn, she cursed inwardly, her mind racing once more for some kind of improvise before she made an even bigger fool of herself.

When nothing came forth immediately, she reacted on instinct and kissed him.

He froze and she escaped.

And now she was even more screwed.

On the upside, she did get the stupid box.

..:Xx0o0xX:..

That had been nearly three weeks prior and she was more than happy that she hadn't seen even so much as bit of Itachi, not even on the edge of her senses. When she'd seen Naruto and Sasuke after she'd completed her 'retrieval mission' she'd shoved the thing at them with a smile on her face. The boys had blinked, looked at each other and then Sakura as Sasuke eventually slowly reached for whatever it was without ever looking away from her green eyes.

When it was in his possession she'd settled in a booth to the left of Naruto – which put him in the middle – at the Ichiraku Ramen shop and calmly ordered herself some food. When Ten_chi had nodded and turned to the task, she turned to them. Clearing her throat she said simply, "I won."

"How?" Naruto asked baffled.

She raised a pink eyebrow amusedly, "I got what you two had bet that I couldn't."

Sasuke seemed resigned. "What do you want?" There had no specific terms when the bet had been struck.

She smiled in the mysterious knowing way, "Oh, I don't want anything right now. But trust me, I will get you back because guess what? Itachi was there. He caught me red handed." Her green eyes flashed as her smile quickly turned to a scowl.

And subconsciously she'd glanced over her shoulder to make sure that Itachi wasn't there or that he wouldn't suddenly pop up at the sound of his name. He didn't and for that she was thankful.

Nodding her thanks as her food was set before her, she grabbed a pair of chopsticks and broke them apart so that she could begin eating. She got as far as a muttered itadakimasu and a bit before one of the two males to her right deigned to speak up. "So…essentially, your going to turn this into a favor?" Naruto asked slowly, blue eyes still guarded but she could see the rising hope in them.

She smiled once more, this one was slightly mischievous, "Yep, but the catch is that no matter what or when it is, you have to do it. Fair?"

Blue and black eyes met for a moment before they both nodded. "Fair."

Sasuke's eyes turned intent then, "What are you going to do about running into Aniki?"

She shrugged morosely, "Dunno. Guess I just hope that I don't see him until he forgets the whole thing." All three snorted in unison which caused the two bubbly members of the group to crack up. When her laughed had died down enough she tacked on, "I don't know what else I can do besides that. Unless one of you two have a valid excuse as to why I would be in his room taking something of Sasuke's from it?" They shook their heads, "Yeah, me neither."

And that was that.

Until her bad luck kicked up again and she ran into Itachi a mere three weeks after what had happened.

She'd been walking home in the early morning when the sun was just barely starting to peak over the horizon. She was tired and her defenses were down because all she could think about was getting home and taking a nap. It was all she wanted and the very thought of her big comfy bed was like heaven to her.

And then arms had slid around her waist from behind, stopping her on a dime. She froze completely and suddenly she was very awake and very alert with all thoughts of sleep long gone. She didn't dare to turn around as she felt a chin settle on her left shoulder. A voice whispered softly in her ear, "Now, Sakura, I do believe you've been very rude to me lately."

She knew that voice. Knew it so well because she'd been listening for it in the backdrop of everywhere she was for the past three weeks. She stifled a gulp as she idly thought that if she grew any stiffer then her body would break.

But Itachi refused to move and she knew that it was game over. Any show of affection or human contact definitely wouldn't work now and she still didn't have a good reasons.

So she settled for dodging the subject as best she could. With a deep breath and soundless plea that she didn't squeak or anything, "Oh? Then I am sorry for that, it wasn't my intention." She almost sighed when it came out as naturally as possible.

She felt him tilt his head slight, "Your apology is accepted, but I think it's only fair that you at least tell me what I did to deserve it."

He was impossible. She'd never known him past the occasional 'hello' so in her defense; there was no way she could have known that fact before hand. Nor had she known that he would act this way around her because of a simple kiss. "Err, honestly?" She gave a nervous laugh and wanted herself to kick herself for it, "It's not anything you did."

His arms tightened around her waist and she was suddenly aware that her back was pressed against his chest. His rock hard, nice feeling chest. She wasn't quick enough to put the perverted thoughts out of her mind and she hoped she hadn't blushed even a little and if she had, that he hadn't seen. "Then may I ask why you snuck into my room?"

So much for avoidance. Her mind raced once more only to get the same result as she had last time. And if she ratted out Sasuke than she would lose the favor she had gained, that and Sasuke would be prickly towards her for weeks to come. So what now? "Umm, well…"

"Sasuke goaded you into it, did he not?" Itachi cut in easily.

Close her eyes she let her posture slump slight and finally nodded.

She felt rather than heard the humming noise he made in turn. "Then why did you kiss me?"

"Couldn't think of a valid excuse for being in your room and taking a box?" She figured he already knew what she had taken so there was no point in covering it up now.

Again he made that noise and she found herself liking it. Liking the sound and the feel of it against her back. Again she had to repress her mind from even trying to go there. He was a complete and utter stranger to her for goodness sake. A stranger that she had kissed.

Did she already mention that she was screwed.

"Well, I'm sure you don't want Sasuke to know that you admitted he was behind this."

She shook her head and couldn't help but be wary at where he was going with this.

He shifted his hold so that his hands rested on her hips. A jolt shot through her at how hot they were even though there was cloth between her hips and his hands. "Then, it would be logical to say that you owe me if I don't say or do anything?"

Yep, she definitely didn't like where this was going. But like everything else about this situation, she didn't really have any other choice so she nodded her head.

And her eyes slipped closed again when he hummed. "Good."

Suddenly one of his hands came up and grasped her chin, tugging it to the side. Before she knew it, she was being kissed. Well, she supposed it was payback, but this time around it didn't seem like such a bitch.

When he pulled back his arms fell away and he took a small step back to give her a bit of breathing room.

"I would suggest, Sakura, that you keep your guard up."

And then he was gone.

She stared for a few moments at where he'd been before groaning to herself and letting her head fall in her hands. She was _so_ going to murder Naruto and Sasuke for this.


	31. 42 Forbidden: Nurture

**Title:** Moments in Time: A Close Up

**Author:** AppleL0V3R

**Beta-reader:** Terror-Of-The-Crimson-Night

**Fandom:** Naruto

**Pairing:** Uchiha, Itachi and Haruno, Sakura

**Chapter:** Thirty-One – #42 Forbidden: Nuture

**Rating:** T

**Type:** One-shot – Complete

**Summary:** Prompts from Moments in Time that I was requested to expand on. 31. 42 – Forbidden: Nuture. It was human nature to want what one couldn't have and they were both overly guilty.

**Word Count:** 1,385

**Disclaimer:** If you've heard of it before, then it's obviously not mine.

**Note:** As the summary states these were skits I was asked to turn into actually works. I will always put which one it was and the skit just before the chapter. They won't be in numerical order because I'm doing them as I'm requested. They won't be any more than one-shots though they may become two to five –shots (I will forewarn when that happens) but they won't become stories unless I choose to.

**Request by:** Anime Freak456

..:Xx0o0xX:..

42. Forbidden (Sakura)

It figured. Why did she always want the guys she couldn't have? Sasuke was a lost cause from the get go and still she'd fallen for him. And Itachi?

She hated him. She loved him. She couldn't live without him.

But she couldn't have him. No matter how much she wanted him, needed him. No matter how much he reciprocated it, even if it wasn't with words. Because he was an S-class criminal. He was wanted dead – no 'or alive' option. And she was the Hokage's apprentice and assistant. Konoha's renowned medic. She was loyal to Konoha.

But the scant moments and limited time they stole for each other would never be enough.

Still, she'd always belong to him and he'd promised to be hers.

..:Xx0o0xX:..

It was human nature to want what one couldn't have. At least that's what it seemed like to her. For her. And she abhorred this fact too. Who wouldn't with the kind of luck she had? But the fact that they were off limits was probably part of the charm because Sakura hated being told she couldn't have something.

Like them.

But that was a double edged statement in that she wanted but couldn't have them and they like her didn't like being told they couldn't have something – no matter what it was – that they wanted.

Sasuke had been told he couldn't have something, he would deliberately make it as best within his reach as he could and then walk away from it. But Itachi would fight back in subtle ways, but he'd find every loophole he could to the point that the restrictors would want to pull their hair out and grumble that 'fine he could have it' and then not even bother to limit him again.

But this was different.

This is one of those 'you'll always want it but once you get it you'll die' kinds of limitations. And those were there to keep curious and rebellious humans in check.

Did it always work?

No.

And she was a prime example of this fact.

First as young child when she hadn't known any better she'd fallen for Uchiha, Sasuke. Ss the years progressed her crush grew she also learned more about Sasuke and the fact that she should back off. That love was the last thing he was looking for and she would only end up hurt. But she didn't and so she ended up having a love confession responded to with a mysterious 'thank you' when he walked out of her life with the intention of never returning.

Did she give up then?

No.

She cried her eyes out right afterwards. But with a promise from Naruto and a lot of determination on her part, she got stronger. And then she went looking for him again.

When she did run into him again, he was even colder and had attempted to kill her.

It was what eventually made her see that he was never going to love her, and that he was never going to even want to have a platonic relationship with her. But he was still her teammate and childhood friend, so she continued to try to bring him back home. Back were he belonged.

And in the process of this came the second example.

This one came in the form of Uchiha, Itachi. Sasuke's elder brother.

The fact still baffled her when she thought about it in context, especially since she really should have learned better, but the fact of the matter was that she loved him.

When she'd first truly met him, he'd kidnapped her. He'd gagged her, bound her and stuck her on a bed and then walked away. Needless to say she'd been furious, but that hadn't deterred him from bugging her on a daily basis. He never once said what he wanted, never told her why she was there or what was going on outside the four under ground walls she was trapped between. And boy did she hate him.

He was the one who'd turned Sasuke into what he'd become – well, not really, but he had most certainly encouraged the brat to walk a line between insanity and reality and kept poking him so that he would titter with eventuality of falling into the dark depths of insanity – and he'd hunted Naruto while killing numerous innocent people, ruining lives and tearing families apart. And he'd kidnapped her, which was the least of his crimes relatively but it was something he'd done against her.

But slowly days turned to weeks and those became months. And because she was so soft hearted and she was inevitably a creature who need human affection, her walls had fallen one by one. They'd crumbled and crashed and shattered and he left her in the rubble. Left her to chase after him as she fell further and further in love with him.

Granted, if asked she'd blame the whole thing on him. After all he had kidnapped her, he'd known she was an affection driven human being and still he'd insisted on being one of the only faces she would see for months. So in all reality, it was his fault.

But that was beside the point.

The point was that she had fallen in love not once, but twice with someone who was clearly out of her reach. He was supposed to be her enemy, she was supposed to kill him at the first chance that presented himself.

She hated him. She loved him.

Most of all, she couldn't live without him.

But she couldn't have him. No matter how much she wanted him, needed him. No matter how much he reciprocated it, even if it wasn't with words. Because he was an S-class criminal. He was wanted dead – no 'or alive' option. And she was the Hokage's apprentice and assistant. Konoha's renowned medic. She was loyal to Konoha.

It should have been clear cut. Should have been black and white. But it wasn't.

Especially not when he finally deigned to return her to her home. When she'd woken in her room, so cold and dark and empty compared to that dimly light underground square box, she'd been filled with disappointment and heartache. Because she'd been rejected. Again. Just the night before, when she'd fallen asleep against his bare chest she'd murmured that she loved him. And this is what he did.

Uchiha's sucked.

And not more than a few weeks later, he came back. It was in the dead of night, she was tired and overworked once more, but the second she saw him her whole world seemed to light up. And then it crashed down as she wondered if he was going to kill her – unlike Sasuke, there would be no attempt for Itachi.

But he'd merely grabbed her, wrapping her in his arms and kissed her.

From there he would come and go, staying for as long as he could because they never knew when he could come back. If he could come back.

Still, she'd always belong to him and he'd promised to be hers.

And she found herself more than content with that. Because the fact of the matter was, she'd gotten her hands on what she wasn't allowed to have and satisfaction was the least of what she'd gained.


	32. 43 Baby: Arms

**Title:** Moments in Time: A Close Up

**Author:** AppleL0V3R

**Beta-reader:** Terror-Of-The-Crimson-Night

**Fandom:** Naruto

**Pairing:** Uchiha, Itachi and Haruno, Sakura

**Chapter:** Thirty-Two – #43 Baby: Arms.

**Rating:** T

**Type:** One-shot – Complete

**Summary:** Prompts from Moments in Time that I was requested to expand on. 32. 43 – Baby: Arms. He vowed to always be there with open arms no matter what.

**Word Count:** 2,315

**Disclaimer:** If you've heard of it before, then it's obviously not mine.

**Note:** As the summary states these were skits I was asked to turn into actually works. I will always put which one it was and the skit just before the chapter. They won't be in numerical order because I'm doing them as I'm requested. They won't be any more than one-shots though they may become two to five –shots (I will forewarn when that happens) but they won't become stories unless I choose to.

On the request of Wicked Lovely I decided to make this one a sequel to chapter 12: #27 Hide: Park Bench. I do encourage going back and reading it if you have forgotten what happened in that because I will be using that as a direct continuation (unlike when chapter 10: #21 Pride: Points was made into the sequel of chapter 5: #17 Family: Peace).

**Request by:** Anime Freak456

..:Xx0o0xX:..

43. Baby (Itachi)

Itachi watched with silent eyes as she cried her heart out. Her hands were tight fistfuls of his shirt and her face was buried in his neck. He in turn kept a tight grip on her waist, on hand moving in soothing circles on her back.

It wasn't the first time he'd seen her in tears and wouldn't be the last. She had such a fragile heart that not even he could protect it from everyone and everything.

But he was alright with that, because every time she came to him. Every time she depended on him to make it better, make her smile. And he always did. He'd protect her from what he could and mend what he could not.

Because she was his.

..:Xx0o0xX:..

He doesn't open his eyes, or even let them flutter open when she wakes him with her stirring. Even though he's already wide awake he can tell that the small girl child pressed against him is starting to wake, though is probably still so entrenched in sleep that there is a very good chance she will fall right back into it. He does nothing to encourage either route as he realizes that after he'd settled his resolve he had allowed sleep to take him as well.

Without having even thought about what to do when she woke. He'd thought about all the other parties and what he might think of her – of possibly getting to know her – but he hadn't thought of how she would react to him when she was no longer half asleep.

He wasn't sure if her parents or guardians had taught her the importance of avoiding strangers, especially since she'd made herself comfortable next to one in the middle of the woods on a very sparingly used trail. And it occurred to him that they possibly hadn't and she had possibly done this before with someone else. He felt something in him twitch at the thought, twitch in that way when he thought about the clan elders ever taking notice of Sasuke. And he realized that he didn't like it, he didn't like it all. He'd settled his decision on any matter with her – though he supposed he would have to make some altercations if she didn't take to him immediately, he didn't imagine that would be a problem however – and he didn't like the idea that she could be unlearned enough to get hurt.

And he found he like the idea of her being hurt even less than of her not being well taught to know better.

Still, he didn't move as she continued to stir.

She made a smile noise in the back of her throat that sounded somewhere between a moan, a groan and a hum. It was the second time he'd heard her vocals and he could hear the child's age in it. Still so young. She was still young. After all she couldn't be more than five or so, she felt a little older than Sasuke but still undoubtedly in a close age range. Then she shifted a little, her small hands pushing and pulling the fabric of his shirt that was still well within her fisted hands. She moved her legs too, rearranging them between his.

Finally green eyes – the color of the deep forest green around them – started to become visible. At first in small slits and then getting bigger, once they've reach the half way point she starts blinking. And when they're fully open she closes them and retracts one of her hands to rub one of her eyes. She yawns, revealing rows of small straight white teeth and a similarly small pink tongue. Then her green eyes come back into view as she starts to shake off the rest of the vestiges of sleep. The hand returns to his shirt and she turns her head as if her brain is trying figure out where she is.

After they skittered about for a few moments they locked onto him. Big doe like eyes stared guilelessly into his own without even the slightest hint of trepidation. "Where are we?"

It took him a moment to respond surprised by her demeanor. "A bench near a lesser used trail in the woods."

She nodded and looked around again. When she seemed satisfied that she had verified the truth of his words she looked back to him. She glanced at her hands and his – one was still settled on her hip but he saw no reason to move it just yet – and then back to his face. "What's your name?"

She wasn't organized about it – she would need to learn self-preservation as well – but she was methodic. The way she seemed to function high above the expected level for a civilian girl child. "Uchiha, Itachi. And yours?"

"Haruno, Sakura." She started to push herself up onto an elbow and he seamlessly followed. Once she was fully up she crawled over him. Itachi found himself amazed with how natural the whole thing felt, how even though he'd stilled at their first contact, he'd been able to sleep with her curled so close.

He watched as she settled her feet on the ground and rearranged her clothes, when she was done she looked up to meet his eyes once more.

So fearless, it would be a good trait for her to have in this world whether she intended to be a shinobi or not. And he knew it stemmed from innocence, the black haired child hoped she would never lose it. Not like he had so early on.

He froze at the reminder. How long had he been asleep? Had he already missed part of the clan event, were his parents wondering where he was? He frowned at the questions and knew he had to get home soon whether he was late or not, it simply wouldn't be wise to stay away any longer.

But when he refocused he was still staring into her green eyes that were expectant. It took him only a split second to realize her intentions, "You wish me to see you home?"

She smiled – pretty and childish, he wanted to protect it like he knew he wouldn't be able to protect Sasuke's – and nodded vigorously, clearly happy that he knew what she wanted. "Mama, says not to wander around by myself too much."

He gave a small smile back to her as he too stood to his feet, "Then you will have to show me the way to your home."

..:Xx0o0xX:..

The next three years would be very trying for Itachi. After having achieved chunin, he would set straight into ANBU and from there he made it to captain rank at the mere age of thirteen. The only thing that kept him going, kept him from falling into an abyss of hatred and anger was the little pink haired girl who'd literally pushed and pulled her way into his life.

He saw her as regularly as he could, staying for as long as his busy schedule would allow, but he always made time for her. Always.

She'd become someone that he refused to hide from and now she'd turned into someone he vowed to protect.

Because as the years got harder for him, they did so for her as well. As her sixth birthday came and went she entered the shinobi academy. Before she had done so, when she'd mentioned to him that she was thinking about it, leaning toward it, he'd bit his tongue so that he didn't outright tell her not to. Though she seemed to have gotten that vibe from him because she went on to explain herself, coming up with the best reasons why she should, why it would benefit her and everyone else.

Again he was reminded of her innocence.

He pointed out that it wasn't all fun and games, it was dangerous. It was disheartening at points, harsh and cruel at others, anyone who told her different would be either lying or sugar coating the truth.

But she'd merely nodded, reasoning that if he could get through it then so could she. Her fearlessness in the face of reality.

He'd marveled at it for a moment before he caught all of her words and the intention behind them. Shocked he'd turned to her, capturing her gaze and asked her what she meant. She smiled and laughed, stating that what she wanted was to help him, to work with him. Because she liked Itachi-kun and she wanted to be like him…accept maybe she wanted to get a little into medicine because she liked plants and herbs too.

All he could do was smile and nod. There were so many holes in that, so many draw backs. But she was still a child so no matter how much it meant to him to hear that and especially from her, she still had a good few years to change her mind and perhaps even longer than that.

But as the years carried on, that notion of fighting beside him on equal footing had never once left her mind and she worked for it tirelessly. More than once he'd had to intervene and coax her into a break without making it deliberate that he was doing such a thing. The first time he'd done it directly had upset her to the point of almost tears and so he'd sought to find other ways to do it, continually using new ones because that sharp mind of hers would catch him if he tried for the same tactic twice.

She would make a very strong and very deadly konuichi, but he didn't like the thought of that. Didn't like the idea of her innocence losing to her fearlessness. But every time he observed her train, trying to perfect a series of combat moves she'd been taught or learn a concept as best she could he was reminded that she was able to keep both in complete and utter harmony. When it became apparent that becoming a shinobi was what she truly wanted and intended to do so, he decided to help in the subtle ways that he could, making sure that she always remembered that delicate balance she'd found so naturally. It would help her in the long run, be a shield when he could not.

But Sakura even at the age of eight was still a child. And the second time he sees her after he's achieved the rank of ANBU captain her green eyes are drowned in the liquid pouring down her cheeks. She's curled on that bench that they first met at – and had an unspoken agreement to wait at for the other if there was a need to speak to one another – her knees are pulled tight against her chest and her still small arms are wrapped tightly around them. She's buried her head between her knees and he can hear her sobs before his eyes even catch sight of her.

The second the reach him, he is at her side, arms already stretching out for her. Before he makes contact her head snaps up and she wastes no time in flinging her small body at his. He isn't even momentarily stunned, his arms quickly winding around her as he kneels down to put her feet on solid ground.

Itachi watched with silent eyes as she cried her heart out. Her hands were tight fistfuls of his shirt and her face was buried in his neck. He in turn kept a tight grip on her waist, one hand starting and finding a soothing rhythm of soft circles on her back, rocking them to and fro as he did so. He also began a quiet hum in the back of his throat, he'd found early on that she liked the feel of vibrations against her and she'd stated that his voice was pretty, that she loved it. So when she was like this he would hum until the sobs settled and the sniffles stopped.

It wasn't the first time he'd seen her in tears and wouldn't be the last. She had such a fragile heart that not even he could protect it from everyone and everything.

But he was alright with that, because every time she came to him. Every time she depended on him to make it better, make her smile. And he always did. He'd protect her from what he could and mend what he could not.

Because she was his.


	33. 44 Forever: To Hold

**Title:** Moments in Time: A Close Up

**Author:** AppleL0V3R

**Beta-reader:** SymphoniaFreak

**Fandom:** Naruto

**Pairing:** Uchiha Itachi and Haruno Sakura

**Chapter:** Thirty-Three – #44 Forever: To Hold.

**Rating:** T

**Type:** One-shot – Complete

**Summary:** Prompts from Moments in Time that I was requested to expand on. 33. 44 – Forever: To Hold. Death and Life were the cycle that made up forever, all she wanted was more than life.

**Word Count:** 1,140

**Disclaimer:** If you've heard of it before, then it's obviously not mine.

**Note:** As the summary states these were skits I was asked to turn into actually works. I will always put which one it was and the skit just before the chapter. They won't be in numerical order because I'm doing them as I'm requested. They won't be any more than one-shots though they may become two to five –shots (I will forewarn when that happens) but they won't become stories unless I choose to.

This is possible one of my shortest chapters (either completely or for a while) so my apologies. Perhaps it will be lengthened but for now I like it the vagueness of it so I'm going to leave it as is.

**Request by:** Anime Freak456

**Edited on:** December 8, 2011

* * *

44. Forever (Sakura)

"Nothing lasts forever." He told her.

"No, but forever is a long time anyway."

He raised an eyebrow. "Then why are you asking for it?"

"Because I don't want death to be the end."

And she didn't. The idea of anything separating them scared her in some ways. It shouldn't have because he was always in and out, never staying for too long because of his job and simply because he didn't like staying in one place for long.

Yet somehow he'd become the one sure thing she could count on. Her life was so hectic and he felt so natural to have around. Even in the scant time that he stayed – never more than three weeks at most.

"I can't promise that."

"I know."

* * *

Sakura was in love. It wasn't an epiphany; she'd been aware that, somewhere along the line, she stopped thinking of him as a friend and instead as her perfect stranger. She'd known when she'd started to fall, when her stomach started to flutter and when her heart jumped into her throat. She didn't mind in the least either; she couldn't think of anyone better for her. And the best part of it was that he loved her too.

He'd never outright admitted it, but she could feel it when their eyes met. It was in his pretty black eyes and when he touched her with gentle caresses even though his hands were roughened and callused by his profession. She didn't need a confession to know that he cared for her just as much as she did for him.

But the fact of the matter was, he had a gypsy soul.

He never stayed too long. He didn't like to be in one place for more than three or so weeks, a month if she was lucky. And most of the time he had assignments from his employers to do, and those kept him away for long periods of time.

So she'd learned to savor the time she had, to make the most of it. When she was certain he was coming back to her, she would plan something and from there she would have a day to day thing for them to do. More than once she'd signed them up for classes, making sure that none would go over three weeks. Other times, she would urge him to go traveling with her, see new things or show her things that he'd already seen and loved.

It didn't matter what it was to her. She just wanted to make the most of every moment, put as much togetherness in every day and tell him she loved him every time it crossed her mind.

Today was a lazy day for the both of them; he would be leaving the day after tomorrow and though she would usually be tugging him out of bed to go out and have fun, she didn't quite feel like it today. No, today seemed like the perfect day to stay in bed and do all the bed related activities. She didn't think Itachi would have any qualms about her decision.

He shifted onto his side and pulled her closer. "Morning." His voice was thick with morning grogginess and sounded like crushed velvet to her. She smiled because it was just another one of the things she loved about him.

"Morning, my love." She responded easily as she too shifted to be comfortable once more.

"What's on the menu for today?"

She hummed. "How about staying in bed. I feel lazy today."

His already dark eyes got darker at the intonation. "Is that so?"

She bobbed her head a little as she nuzzled forward, pressing her lips against the first patch of skin she could find – his collar bone. His thumb started rubbing lazy circles from its place on her hip.

A thought crossed her mind. It wasn't the first time this particular one had, but every time before he'd been away or just come home and she hadn't thought it the proper time to voice it. But he was leaving soon again and though she was content with his show of affection, she couldn't help the niggling voice in the back of her mind. She wanted to sate it and the only way to do that was to voice it. "Itachi?"

He hummed, his thumb rubbing had turned into a slight kneading motion.

"Would you ever promise me forever?"

The movement stopped and for a split second she worried she'd said the wrong thing. "Nothing lasts forever." He told her softly, slowly. He puled back to see her eyes and meet them with serious black ones.

She knew him well enough to know what that translated to. "No, but forever is a long time anyway."

He raised an eyebrow. "Then why are you asking for it?"

"Because I don't want death to be the end."

And she didn't. The idea of anything separating them scared her in some ways. It shouldn't have because he was always in and out, never staying for too long because of his job and simply because he didn't like staying in one place for long.

Yet somehow he'd become the one sure thing she could count on. Her life was so hectic – between Naruto and Ino and her big family and her demanding occupation – and he felt so natural to have around. Even in the scant time that he stayed which was never more than three weeks at most.

"I can't promise that." Itachi finally said as he started moving his hand again.

She smiled softly. "I know."


	34. 45 Crazy: Urges

**Title:** Moments in Time: A Close Up

**Author:** AppleL0V3R

**Beta-reader:** SymphoniaFreak

**Fandom:** Naruto

**Pairing:** Uchiha Itachi and Haruno Sakura

**Chapter:** Thirty-Four – #45 Crazy: Urges

**Rating:** T

**Type:** One-shot – Complete

**Summary:** Prompts from Moments in Time that I was requested to expand on. 34. 45 – Crazy: Urges. There were so many reasons he shouldn't even try. Each one made him want to all the more.

**Word Count:** 3,455

**Disclaimer:** If you've heard of it before, then it's obviously not mine.

**Note:** As the summary states these were skits I was asked to turn into actually works. I will always put which one it was and the skit just before the chapter. They won't be in numerical order because I'm doing them as I'm requested. They won't be any more than one-shots though they may become two to five –shots (I will forewarn when that happens) but they won't become stories unless I choose to.

The ending for this one feels, I don't know, cheesy? I'm not sure I like it, but I do like how it came full circle. I might change it in the future, most likely not, but it's a definite possibility.

**Request by:** Anime Freak456

**Edited on:** December 13, 2011

* * *

45. Crazy (Itachi)

He had to be crazy. To like her, to want to be with her. To even try. There were so many reasons that it wouldn't work, like that they'd barely spoken more than two sentences in the time they'd known each other – with was since she was around eight – she is Sasuke's ex-girlfriend, she likes somebody already. And the list goes on, besides she's made it abundantly clear that she doesn't want to be a clan wife stuck in politics and being told how to live and act. All of it boiled down to that it would only end in disaster, not to mention the scandal everyone else would make.

But call him crazy because he was going to get her to feel the same.

* * *

Most people figured that there was something wrong with Itachi, that he tittered on the insane side of intelligence, that he was more a mad scientist of sorts rather than a wise teacher. At least, that was the impression that Itachi got every time he caught some civilian glancing his way or even the lower ranks.

And parts of him had to agree, to be able to do what he did as well as he did there had to be something different in him than in them. But that was a fact of life, one that he saw no reason to mess with because he liked who he was, he was fine with his lot in life.

Well, mostly anyway. And that's where the crazy part of the equation came in. And it was because of Haruno, Sakura. He had to be crazy. To like her, to want to be with her. To even try. But he did. He couldn't figure out why, something simply drew him to her like a moth to a flame. She was small and pretty, unique and kind, innocent and loving. But she was also fierce and protective, strong and confident, level headed and intelligent.

But he knew that it he shouldn't. There were so many reasons that it wouldn't work, like that they'd barely spoken more than two sentences in the time they'd known each other – with was since she was around eight – she is Sasuke's ex-girlfriend, she likes somebody already. And the list goes on, besides she's made it abundantly clear that she doesn't want to be a clan wife stuck in politics and being told how to live and act. All of it boiled down to that it would only end in disaster, not to mention the scandal everyone else would make.

But call him crazy because he was going to get her to feel the same.

And since people thought him insane enough to do anything to get what he wanted, he didn't see what was wrong with proving them right – as long as she stayed intact, he didn't want to go through all the trouble of getting her only to break her in the process.

So like the logical tactician that he was, he started by eliminating the problems that would make it not work. And those were, as above mentioned, she was Sasuke's ex-girlfriend – there was nothing could or needed to be done about that, but it did mean that he would have a reference should he need one – he'd never spoken more than two sentences total in the decade they'd known each other – again nothing he could do to change that fact, other than start talking to her – she likes somebody else.

Now that would be the one to take care of.

There were many ways that he could think of to go about it, but first he decided he would speak to Sasuke, learn just who was it she liked and why. And then he would talk to the girl herself.

* * *

So as he knows he needs to before he does anything else, he corners his precious little brother who has a tendency towards foolishness. The second Itachi settles himself across from Sasuke at the island in the kitchen, the boy tenses and is immediately wary. Smart boy. But Itachi pretends to pay it no mind as he reaches over and grabs one of the onigiri that their mother had made as a side dish for dinner that day.

Sasuke scowls at the prospect that he was just robbed of his food and asks, his voice is coated in irritation, "What do you want Aniki?"

He quirks one of his lips upwards slightly and chides softly, "Now, otouto, is that anyway to talk to your caring older brother?"

He gets an eye roll in response as the younger male mutters something under his breath mind games and psychotic older brothers, but it only amuses Itachi as he waits for the boy's response. After a moment and a bite of his food it comes, a simple curt "Yes."

It's clear to the Uchiha heir then that he'd caught the teen in one of his grouchy moods, but Itachi's handled worse and does not intend to be shrugged off without answers simply because his sibling isn't in the mood. "I see."

"Seriously, Ani, it's almost two in the morning, say what you want or wait till morning."

He forgot how anti-morning person his bratty little brother is, but he's still not even the slightest perturbed, "I would like to know about Haruno, Sakura." Itachi watches with sharp black eyes as the other son of the main house goes even stiffer. But this time the walls don't just crash down, they shoot up. Interesting.

He doesn't even try for the guarded approach, "No. Leave my teammate alone, Aniki."

Itachi is touched by the protectiveness he hears as it radiates off the eighteen year old, but that doesn't mean he'll be deterred. "I'm merely curious, Sasuke. She's made quite a name for herself."

"If you're so interested, then go talk to her."

He raised an eyebrow at his brother's rudeness, "What happened to leaving her alone?"

Faded and dull black eyes are rolled once more as their owner snorts, "Like that's really going to stop you. Just don't play games with her, she doesn't like them and if she ends up hurt, brother or not, we're going to have problems."

It was almost boarder line possessive, and that would have worried Itachi a little as to where his brother's feelings were when it came to the pink haired girl, but he knew that the two really were just like siblings to each other. That was how team 7 operated, if what he'd heard over and over again was correct.

Uzumaki and Sasuke guarded their only female furiously and didn't take kindly to the prospect of suitors who could harm the girl's heart. But Itachi also knew first hand that she was not as fragile as her namesake suggested and so he thought both boys a bit over the top with their tactics, she was strong and could handle herself. But he found himself curious as to whether that applied to her emotions too, considering he knew the Copy Cat Ninja was just as protective, if not more so. Like a laid back father with a sharpened sword casually placed in one hand, as fair warning to all who dared to mess with his children, especially his precious daughter.

But he'd already set his mind to this. "If that is how you feel then I will get straight to the point. Who is it that she likes?"

Sasuke paused, his eyebrows furrowing as he frowned, "Where in the world did you here that? Sakura's not crushing on anyone."

"No?" Itachi narrowed his eyes, wondering if his little brother was trying for evasive.

The frown deepened as he shook his head slowly, "Not that I know of. Where did you hear that?"

"Overheard." He corrected lightly, "When the Yamanaka girl was pestering Sakura about the matter. She turned a very brilliant shade of red."

Now his little brother's eyes narrowed, "Well. Then we are both unaware as to this guy's identity."

Well, he hadn't gotten answers per se, but now he knew that Sasuke would find a way to procure them and from there it would be an even simpler task to get them from him.

* * *

The next time, he didn't have to corner Sasuke. Not because the younger boy came to him first, he merely found an opening to speak to Sakura herself.

Surprisingly, he'd run into in the grocery store. He had been there to pick up a few things for dinner on his mother's request and hadn't expected to see her there. Especially not looking at exactly what he was there to buy. She was standing near the other side of the isle as her green eyes swept from product to product. Mildly surprised, he decided to settle beside her. "Running out of groceries?"

She started, jerking her head up to look at him with surprise. "Uchiha-san. I didn't see you there." After she seemed to have gotten over it she nodded. "Something like that. Naruto and Sasuke decided to throw a party at my house. Don't ask, I don't know. So now I have to restock my kitchen."

He honestly hadn't expected her to go into detail about anything. Though it had been a nice tidbit of knowledge. He smirked, "Really? They cleaned up the mess afterwards, I hope."

She snorted and raised eyebrow, "Yeah. Sure they did. After I threatened them with a frying pan and the hospital."

Black eyes blinked in surprise, his lips parting slightly. "A…frying pan?"

She grinned and bobbed her head. "Yep, it was the closest thing at hand."

He nodded, bubbling amusement threatening to spill from his lips. "I see, so which one got them to agree?"

Now she laughed, "Surprisingly, the frying pan. I would have thought threatening to land them in the hospital and forcing them to heal the old fashioned way without pain killers would have worked." She shrugged helplessly, "I guess the immediate threat was more precedent than the possible one."

That was when he first realized that a day with her would never be dull. Her life was full of chaos, especially between the company she kept and jobs she worked. He ran into her in the oddest of places and mostly when he didn't plan to. But as time wore on, he learned more about her. From her every day life to the more interesting parts of her days, from her likes and dislikes to her hobbies, he learned more than he'd planned to. Never once had he passed up an opportunity, but he still hadn't learned the one thing he had set out to before he'd even first spoke to her.

Who was she infatuated with?

Sasuke still had not procured the answer and whenever Sakura was in the presence of a male he could tell if they liked her, but she didn't seem any more inclined from one guy to the next.

It was getting to the point where he was tempted to ask outright.

But as fate would have it, or whatever other instrument that made the world work in the odd and coincidental ways that it did, he wouldn't have to. Why? Because of Yamanaka, Ino.

Itachi and Sakura had been on a simple stroll. Not really, because he had a destination and so did she, but neither one needed to be to their respective destinations quite yet and so had the time to walk and talk. The smaller woman had been started off talking about her day but at some point she'd turned it into a one-sided conversation about best friends and teammates and boundaries. She did this often enough that he merely let her talk without interruption unless he felt his input necessary.

Then to his surprise, somebody slammed into her, arms wrapping around her neck with a loud, feminine "Sakura!"

To her credit, all said female did was stop and though she looked mildly irritated, she casually replied. "Don't scream in my ear, Ino, it's not ever necessary." She didn't even pause or look at the blonde. "And don't argue that."

Ino huffed and retracted her arms. "Hello to you, too."

Green eyes were rolled as she sent Itachi and apologetic smile without the other girl's notice. "You didn't say it either, so don't take that tone with me."

"Yes, Mother." Was the reply she got from a decidedly teenager like posture.

Sakura was the one to huff this time. "What do you want?"

As if the previous conversation had never happened, the blonde was bouncing around and smiling giddily once more. "Well, I figured it out."

"Do I have to guess or are you going to tell me?"

"I think – wait, guess what I'm talking about or what I figured out?"

The pink haired girl shrugged. "Both, neither. I honestly don't care."

The other young woman wasn't put out in the slightest by her best friend's dry tone or lack of enthusiasm. "It's about that guy you like." Immediately Itachi zeroed in on their conversation. Both girls seemed to have forgotten he was there, well Sakura seemed to have, the Yamanaka girl simply hadn't noticed him yet.

This procured a sigh, "Ino, I've told you already. I don't like anyone right now."

"Liar."

She didn't miss a beat. "Guilty. Now drop it, will you?"

"Not a chance. So as for the second part. I'm pretty sure it's Neji. Am I right?" She was grinning as if she'd won a major prize, even her blue eyes were lit up.

The Hyuuga heir? That's who she liked. No wonder Sasuke hadn't been aware; Sakura never would have piped up about something like that. No matter, as long as she hadn't confessed to the other ANBU captain, it shouldn't be that much of a problem. Merely a case having to dissuade her from those feelings and have them directed at himself, and since he'd originally planned to do so he only felt more confident. Now he had the missing piece of information, all he had to do was figure out the why and that would make things so much easier for him.

But Sakura didn't react positively, he hadn't really expected her to and clearly neither had her female companion. She seemed even more irritated, even slightly grumpy as she crossed her arms. "Please tell me you haven't already gossiped anything along those lines."

The blue eyed girl looked affronted, "Of course not. You know I always verify."

The pinkette snorted but didn't comment on that statement. "Good, because it's not true." Well, perhaps not. Now he was back to where he'd been before this conversation had started. Though he was beginning to wonder if it mattered whether he figured out such knowledge or not. It wouldn't effect how much he was trying or his determination and if it was truly important he'd ask her after they'd started dating. Plain and simple.

Now the blonde frowned. "Well, then who is it?"

A pink eyebrow was raised in that 'are you crazy' sort of manner, "Do you really think I'm going to tell you that?"

She was mirrored in turn. "Of course."

Sakura sighed, and as if seeming to finally remember he was still present. "My apologies, Itachi. She's been pestering me about this for weeks, months even."

He nodded acquiescingly, "No need to apologize. Though it is a curious subject, I wasn't aware that you liked someone."

And as if to reconfirm his words she blushed and directed her gaze to the ground. "Yeah." The word was so soft he almost didn't catch it, not even with his sharp hearing.

"No way." Ino breathed, staring at the shorter girl with wide eyes. But they slowly fell to half lidded as confident mischief filled both shades of blue.

Sakura seemed to groan. "Don't even."

"Now I get it." A grin has made its way to her face. With each passing second she got even more excited and all the green eyed girl seemed to want to do right then was crawl into a hole. Which could only mean one thing to Itachi, Sakura knew Ino was dead on this time and it was because she had given herself away.

He didn't need to hear it to put one and two together. The only thing that could have given her away was her conversation with him. Him. She liked him.

"You like Uchiha, Itachi."

Her scarlet face fell into her hands and as much as said male enjoyed the sight, not to mention the knowledge, he decided now was a good time to step in. So he took an easy step forward and directed his attention to the helpful little blonde. "I think you should pester her later."

Ino blinked and was about to protest – if the flicker of indignation was any indication – but then seemed to think better of it. The grin widened and she nodded. "Sure, no problem." And then she spun on her heel, but before she disappeared into the crowd she looked back over her shoulder at her sister figure. "Saks, don't be difficult for him, just accept it. Oh and I want details later." She was gone.

Itachi watched where she'd been for a moment, realizing why Sakura had the backbone she did. She had a very pushy set of family figures, between Uzumaki, Sasuke and Yamanaka, she had to learn how to make her say on the matter clear. And though he was sure that would be another conversation for later, right now he was more interested in getting her to say Ino's words to him. He wanted to hear them, whether he already knew it or not. "Sakura."

She jerked up, like she had that very first time. Her face was still a brilliant shade of red and he found it suiting, liked the color on her face as well as knowing he'd put it there. "Yes?"

"Was she telling the truth?" He took another step forward until there was almost no space between them. She even had to tilt her head back to meet his eyes.

For a long moment, she didn't say anything until final she nodded almost reluctantly. But he refused to budge until she said them, so he wrapped his arms loosely around her and waited. With every passing moment that she didn't vocalize her feelings he tightened them ever so slightly. "Say it."

She took a deep breath and opened her mouth, her lips parted only slightly. "I like you, Itachi."

He smirked and completely tightened his arms, pulling her against him until she couldn't even squirm. Leaning down he whispered in her ear, feeling her shiver with each puff of hot breath. "Good. The feeling is mutual, Sakura."

She was frozen for a moment, unmoving and seemed not to breathe too. Then she shifted so that her own breath fanned out across his jaw and cheek, eventually reaching his ear. "You should say it too."

Itachi didn't miss a beat, "I like you, Sakura."

Her arms wrapped around his neck and he couldn't help but smile as he pulled back just enough to look her in the eye and kiss her.

Yes, he was probably crazy. There would still be a million things to stand in their way, his clan being one and most likely the biggest. But he got what he wanted and that was all that mattered to him.


	35. 46 Life: Safe

**Title:** Moments in Time: A Close Up

**Author:** AppleL0V3R

**Beta-reader:** SymphoniaFreak

**Fandom:** Naruto

**Pairing:** Uchiha Itachi and Haruno Sakura

**Chapter:** Thirty-Five – #46 Life: Safe

**Rating:** T

**Type:** One-shot – Complete

**Summary:** Prompts from Moments inTime that I was requested to expand on. 35. 46 – Life: Safe. She should never had tried to save him, should have known better. She did it anyway.

**Word Count:** 3,485

**Disclaimer:** If you've heard of it before, then it's obviously not mine.

**Note:** As the summary states these were skits I was asked to turn into actually works. I will always put which one it was and the skit just before the chapter. They won't be in numerical order because I'm doing them as I'm requested. They won't be any more than one-shots though they may become two to five –shots (I will forewarn when that happens) but they won't become stories unless I choose to.

There is a sequel to this one, however it isn't directly after. Chapter 51: 94 Shorts is the next in this verse

**Request by:** Anime Freak456

**Edited on:** December 14, 2011

* * *

46. Life (Sakura)

She cherished life.

She did her best save each and every one that she could; she was a doctor after all. If she turned a blind eye to the dying, then who would help them? She couldn't bear to watch someone die and do nothing because there was so much to live for. Everyone deserved a second chance and most needed a first one. And she wanted to be the person to start them on the way to getting it.

So when she came across his body, torn and to most a waste of energy to try to save, she bent down and started at the beginning. He wasn't savable in so many ways, but in so many others he didn't need to be.

* * *

One of the main reasons Sakura became a medic was to help those she could not protect. She hated being helpless and she especially hated to see people dying, knowing she couldn't do anything about it. The side reason had been that Naruto was forever getting himself hospitalized. And the final reason was because it was something she was good at, something she excelled at. Without the ability and knowledge, she didn't know where she would be.

And being a medic – not to mention the Fifth Hokage's former apprentice and current assistant – had opened many doors for her.

When she wasn't working at the hospital or doing paperwork or away on a mission, she was attending to foreign affairs. She was pretty much the unofficial ambassador between any other village and Konoha, but that had more to do with the fact that she had so many connections all over the Five Great Shinobi Nations than anything else.

But because she was a medic, it had been a little easier to allow her soft heart to remain unhardened. Being a shinobi required a mask of cold professionalism at all times, and she always hated to wear it. Being an ambassador required complete unbiased opinions and viewpoints no matter what. But being a medic allowed her to get involved, to put her heart in it.

Because she cherished life.

She did her best save each and every one that she could; she was a doctor after all, and to her it didn't matter who the patient was. There was supposed to be equality in medicine because it was not something to be used for political gain. If she turned a blind eye to the dying, then who would help them? She couldn't bear to watch someone die and do nothing because there was so much to live for. Everyone deserved a second chance and most needed a first one. And she wanted to be the person to start them on the way to getting it.

So when she came across his body, torn and to most a waste of energy to try to save, she bent down and started at the beginning.

He wasn't savable in so many ways, she would come to realize - through one too many hardships - but that was okay, because in so many others he didn't need to be.

She'd come across him on her way home from Kiri; a request from the Mizukage herself had brought Sakura there in the first place. Apparently both Choujirou had caught some kind of virus and Kiri was still far from adept in all things cures. That was probably a reason why they had never been too embedded in any wars or disputes that had nothing to do with them. And so Mei had sent a letter to Tsunade asking for assistance, and the blonde-haired Hokage had wasted no time in shoving her granddaughter of sorts out the village gates.

It hadn't been all that vexing of a virus, but had been very stubborn and hard to kill off. However, within a week she had managed to do so. After writing down a few instructions and handing them over to the medics that were already there, Sakura had visited Mei to tell her that she would have her body guard back in a few days or so and that she was heading home.

The Fifth had blinked and then smiled hugely as she thanked the younger woman for her immediate help and wished her a safe trip home.

And somewhere between Kiri and the border, a rain storm had started and got bad enough that Sakura was forced to find shelter and wait it out.

She happened to have the luck of entering a cave that Uchiha Itachi was strewn in. She could tell that he'd gotten himself there, but hadn't had enough energy to do anything more than fall backwards against the cave wall and black out. She'd frozen at the sight of him, more on instinct than anything else, but once she realized that his chest hadn't even risen after a moment of watching him intently, she let her stance loosen only slightly as she edged forward a bit. The cave was cold, and she knew immediately a fire would be a good idea.

But the medic in her wanted to place him first. Wanted to see to him, make sure he wasn't dying. If he was dead that would be one thing, but she was fairly certain that there was no way she was simply going to let him die in her presence with her knowing that she could at least try to help. She'd pulled ninja back from the brink multiple times and didn't think there was anything that could truly stop her from at least stabilizing them. She didn't have many herbs on her anymore, and she was tired as well, her reserves already halved. Still, doing a once-over would at least ease her mind. If she could do something, she would, but something told her that if she wanted to make him better it was going to take a lot of days, patience and resources.

But since she only had one of those three key things, she would settle for at least checking if it would be worth the energy spent.

So she took tentative and cautious steps towards the body of the Uchiha, never once removing her sharp eyes from his person. She didn't need to walk straight into a trap, especially not if someone knew she would be coming through here and could have waited. It was pretty well known that though she was a formidable opponent, almost as strong as any one of her powerful teammates, she was also quite softhearted. And for that reason alone, she would not charge into a situation like this because her life and services were still important to her village, and honestly, she didn't want to die just yet. Besides, if it was a trap and the Akatsuki was behind it, she knew there was the possibility they could use her for multiple things.

So caution was absolutely necessary until she was completely sure that this was indeed the body of Uchiha Itachi and that he was in dire circumstances before she even thought about letting her rigidness relax. And by that point, his life would be in her hands anyway. Provided he wasn't already dead, of course.

When he still hadn't even so much as breathed by the time she got to his side, she dropped to her knees and settled on his left side. Parts of a cold wind blew through the cave, strong enough to whip her long pink hair and rustle his cloak, but it was gone as soon as it came. Shivering slightly, she bent forward, reaching for his neck with two gloved hands. He didn't react in the slightest when she settled them at the base of it. Now she was so close she could see the unhealthy pasty color covering every inch of his visible skin and she wondered idly how long he'd been in the frigid cold. But she pushed it aside in favor of concentrating on the tendrils of chakra she sent into his system, probing about for the extent of his damage.

It was horrifying to say the least. He was alive, unconscious and on the brink, but alive all the same. And it was definitely Uchiha Itachi, the buildup of chakra in his eyes enough of a testament to that.

Taking a deep breath, she pulled her chakra back and fell on her hunches, watching him with thoughtful green eyes for what seemed like eternity. Should she even try? Could she do it? There wasn't much poison in his system, but it was the slow and deadly kind, still gradually leeching the tattered remains of his life from him. If she wanted to even try to make a difference, she would have to start in right this second, and she would have to plan for using up pretty much all of her reserves to even get him half way to stable.

Was it worth it?

Another few moments ticked by. She took another deep breath and ultimately reached out. She knew he wouldn't be grateful for this; she knew this was an idiotic move to make. He'd caused so much pain and suffering to not only her and her loved ones, but everyone he'd ever come in contact with. Every village had him at pretty much the top of their ten most wanted lists, and they all wanted him dead.

All logic dictated she shouldn't do anything; she should let him die.

But she was a medic, and if she didn't at least give him the chance to fight should he want to, then what kind of healer was she? The kind she hated most. The biased kind. Because she'd always held the morals that medicine was not picky; it did not choose sides and therefore she shouldn't either. And she also held true to her vow that she would always do whatever she could to help. She wouldn't break that now. Not for this one man, it wasn't worth it.

So she started at the beginning, with every intention to at least try to help. To do whatever she could.

* * *

It took hours before she finally decided she was almost too low on chakra to be good for her. But she'd stabilized him, and that was all that mattered. She would have to stay the night, get a few solid hours of sleep, and she would be good enough to travel home without problem. A glance outside told her that the storm hadn't let up at all so she was stuck anyway.

She glanced back down at the man who had just become her patient; he seemed to be a little more comfortable as she had gotten rid of the major gashes and even started breaking down the poison. But that didn't mean he'd be waking anytime soon; it would be at least twenty-four hours before he woke which gave her ample time to rest, do one last check up, and then be on her way.

Honestly, the fact that she'd given Uchiha Itachi the chance to live - as slim as that chance was - didn't rub her too wrong. He'd been steadily fading out of news and sightings and all around importance. She figured allowing him to live the rest of his life the way he wanted to, should he stay stabilized and lived past this wouldn't do anymore harm.

Satisfied with her knowledge, she settled back on her haunches and started arranging her things so as to create a make-shift bed, and then she made herself comfortable not too far from him. She didn't want to be too far, just in case something happened.

It didn't take long to fall asleep; she was tired and exhausted enough to slip into a light sleep.

Not long after – no more than a few hours – Itachi stirred. It hurt slightly to breath, but not nearly as much as it had before it. And his first thought was 'why?', and then that while he wasn't on the brink, he wasn't out of the woods. But logically he should be dead; there was no way he could still be alive after the damage he'd sustained. But the fact of the matter was - he was at least stable. Which brought forth the next question, 'who?'

Slowly, he opened his eyes, finding his vision clearer than it had been in a while. A skilled medic. He knew by experience that it took a healer who knew what they were doing to even be able to so much as assess the damage without making it worse, especially with eyes like his.

He frowned slightly. Who would be skilled enough, but willing to help him, and why?

The thought sifted through him for a moment, and though he decided he was more curious and cautious towards whoever had chosen to help him, he wasn't sure he was grateful. Not until he found out why.

Shifting a bit, he tried to sit up. Pain flared to life, but he didn't feel anything rip and nothing was broken - though he was sure he'd sustained multiple broken bones and numerous gashes - so he ignored the screaming nerves as best he could. When he was at least to his elbows - hadn't he been crumpled against the cave wall? They moved him - he let his eyes rove over everything he could see.

The entrance was to his left and there was a heavy rain storm pounding outside, and he knew instinctively it would be several hours before it could be traveled through. His eyes shifted further to the right; nothing about the cave stood out, not really.

Not until his gaze landed on her.

His vision was just good enough to see that she had something like pink or red hair; though it was probably red because pink was hardly an ideal hair color for a traveler going through Kiri and there was only one person that he could think of that had -

Haruno Sakura.

She fit the profile. Softhearted, skilled and had pink hair. There was no other explanation as to why she would be resting so soundly next to one of the most wanted criminals of their time. But why she had helped him, he couldn't figure out. Certainly, she was one of the most naive kunoichi he'd ever heard of, but surely she wouldn't think that she could simply heal someone like him and walk away like nothing happened. Unless, she didn't plan to.

He was curious now, and was more than willing to take advantage of the situation. He couldn't feel her chakra signature, and even when his shifting caused rocks to scrap against each other she didn't stir. Which meant she was exhausted enough that she was in a deep sleep and couldn't hide her signature. Which, by way of thinking, meant she was extremely low.

A cold wind blew through the cave, but it was mostly buffered by his cloak that she'd taken care to rebutton after having tended to him. But she didn't have the kind of clothing for this weather and so her slightly curled body twisted further in on itself as she shivered and her subconscious mind tried to conserve heat and keep out the cold.

Clearly the girl was either too dense to know what was good for her, or had a complete and utter lack of self-preservation. Neither one boded well for her.

But he could most certainly use either to his advantage as well.

Resolve established, he shifted in an almost crawl until he was beside her, careful not to touch her with any part of his body, not even the cloak. There was still the possibility that even the smallest and lightest of brushes could wake her in an instant. She wasn't a well known and accomplished shinobi for nothing.

He took only a split second to ready himself, bunching muscles and steadying his breath to the rate and way he wanted it, and even less time to pounce.

She came awake with a start, but didn't move fast enough. By the time her body reacted, just a fraction of a second slower than his, she was already securely beneath him.

Before he could even say anything though, even make a move to do anything, she already had her mouth open. And much to his consternation, all he could see was irritation on her countenance. "What the hell are you doing? I spent hours stitching you up and I'm sure you just ripped over half of them."

As if to prove her point, he felt a warm liquid began to soak his clothes all over again. But he ignored it in favor of a different fact.

She was scolding him? _She_ was scolding _him_? She was _scolding_ him?

It had to be a mix of her infamously short temper and complete lack of self-preservation. Which answered one question. But that didn't mean he was going to calmly take such heated and irritated words. Especially not when she was under him.

"Can't you tell you're at my mercy?" His voice was purposely quiet and he added a dangerous undertone with biting steel to it. She was mistaken if she thought she could get away with acting in such a manner. And she was also mistaken if she thought he would have simply done nothing while he had the knowledge that she'd helped him.

Again the 'why' question rang through his head. It dimly occurred to him that the horrible migraines he was constantly dealing with nowadays were not currently present. Her doing no doubt.

She met his eyes with determined - if still slightly sleepy - green ones as she kept her chin up. She had guts, too, it seemed. Not a common trait in people like her. He would have expected a strong and skilled kunoichi that was quiet and without a backbone. As many Konoha female medics were. At least all the ones he'd ever dealt with.

"You're barely even stable, and by pouncing on me, I bet you're less than stable health-wise. If you kill me, then you'll most likely die before you can find someone with enough experience to even stabilize you again. So at your mercy or not, you're at mine too."

He narrowed his eyes dangerously at her and tightened his hold. He was straddling her waist with his thighs as his knees were pressed firmly into the ground on the sides of her hips. He held both of her arms above her head with one hand and had his other nestled at the base of her throat.

But the fact of the matter was she had a point. If he wanted to live longer than the next twelve or so hours, he couldn't kill her now.

That didn't mean he couldn't use her. Didn't mean he wouldn't either.

He leaned down until there was barely a centimeter between their noses, but she didn't shy away; she kept her steady gaze without even so much as slightly squirming. Oh he definitely liked this one.

"I don't plan to kill you, Sakura." Her eyes widened slightly at the sound of her name; he smirked. Her entire body was tense and her breath had hitched a little. Not so tough after all, how amusing. He would enjoy playing with her. Using her. "I plan to make sure you're always at my fingertips to use whenever and however I please." Thunder sounded in the background. How uncommon for Kiri, but it accented his words quite well.

It didn't seem her pretty green eyes could go any wider as she seemed to stop breathing completely.

What a foolish girl, to think that he wouldn't take advantage of her, to think that he wouldn't make her life his. But she would learn, oh she would learn.


	36. 50 Soul: Converse

**Title:** Moments in Time: A Close Up

**Author:** AppleL0V3R

**Beta-reader:** SymphoniaFreak

**Fandom:** Naruto

**Pairing:** Uchiha Itachi and Haruno Sakura

**Chapter:** Thirty-Six – #50 Soul: Converse.

**Rating:** T

**Type:** One-shot – Complete

**Summary:** Prompts from Moments inTime that I was requested to expand on. 36. 50 – Soul: Converse. She asked a lot of questions. Sooner or later, she was going to bear the consequences for it.

**Word Count:** 2,295

**Disclaimer:** If you've heard of it before, then it's obviously not mine.

**Note:** As the summary states these were skits I was asked to turn into actual works. I will always put which one it was and the skit just before the chapter. They won't be in numerical order because I'm doing them as I'm requested. They won't be any more than one-shots though they may become two to five –shots (I will forewarn when that happens) but they won't become stories unless I choose to.

This is another philosophical chapter, my apologies, I hope you don't mind. But this kind of stuff interests me and if you have different viewpoints than the ones I've brought up, then please tell me.

**Request by:** Anime Freak456

**Edited on:** December 24, 2011

* * *

50. Soul (Sakura)

"Do you think we have souls?" Sakura asked out of the blue.

The two of them were on another one of their walks. The walks could last hours and they always had some type of conversation going. If Sakura started it, it was a question, usually of the philosophical sense, and if it was Itachi, it was a statement, usually of the analytical sense. The topics varied greatly, but neither minded as it was always one that made them both think and in doing so, they got to know each other that much better.

That was the nature of their relationship. It didn't matter where they were or where they were going on the walk. Nothing did besides the fact that they ended up together.

"Yes."

* * *

Sakura was the kind of person who was full of questions. Every time one was answered, more sprang forth to replace it. She knew it could be the death of her - it sure as hell had gotten her into more than one troublesome situation - but she was as inquisitive as a cat.

And who better to pester about anything and everything than a catlike genius? Especially one that listened and answered, made her think about her answers and the way she asked her questions.

She loved spending time with him. Though the only time they usually had was a simple walk, one that started somewhere and ended a long point from there. She never really paid attention to the details because she was always so wrapped up in the topics they spoke about, the perspectives he brought to the table and why she held her own.

And she was pretty sure he felt the same because he seemed to always have time when she asked for it. He was never too busy to go on a simple walk, be it through town or around a park or even through a forest. Konoha was so big and beautiful that it was nice scenery no matter what they were talking about.

In fact, it was what she was doing right now. Walking side by side with Itachi, close enough that every once in a while their arms would brush. It was simple and easy, and she wouldn't trade these times for the world.

They'd been quiet thus far as they both walked through a forest. There was no path that they walked and they hadn't taken this route yet, so she figured it was time for a completely new topic. And since he'd started the last one, she would start this one.

"Do you think we have souls?" Sakura asked out of the blue.

The thing about these walks was that they could last hours and they always had some type of conversation going. If Sakura started it, it was a question, usually of the philosophical sense, and if it was Itachi, it was a statement, usually of the analytical sense. The topics varied greatly, but neither minded as it was always one that made them both think and in doing so, they got to know each other that much better. That had become the inadvertent goal after all.

That was the nature of their relationship. It didn't matter where they were or where they were going on the walk. Nothing did besides the fact that they ended up together.

"Yes."

The answer took her by surprise. She knew Itachi well enough that she would have assumed he would answer no. Not because he was pessimistic – he most certainly could be though – but because he was realistic and souls were not something that could be proven. They weren't exactly relevent and there were no definite answers as whether they existed. And for those reasons alone, she would have thought he would put them in the same categories as fairies and the like, nonexistent.

"Why?"

He paused for a long moment and she easily leaned her against his shoulder as they kept walking. It didn't impede them or make anything harder; they simply fell into the same stepping motion; when he put one foot in front of the other so did she. He didn't shrug her off or anything of the sort – he never did – so she didn't bother to pick her head back up. After all, it could be a little while before he responded with his reasoning.

"The simplest answer is it makes us who we are."

She smiled. That was the sort of answer she would give which meant she was infecting him. "So what's a more complex answer?" She paused. "Oh, but please explain the simple one first please?"

He rolled black eyes in exasperation. "Of course, Sakura. It makes us who we are because without it, we are nothing more than a lump of flesh and bone and organisms. The heart is usually used for love, but what makes that preference? We all have hearts; we all have brains; what makes us different? What makes us individuals with our own beliefs? I believe that it is sometimes the intangible that makes us who we are; in this case the intangible is a soul."

"Well, I have to agree but–"

Itachi cut her off, "No, I still have the other part of your question, Sakura. You're not allowed to interrupt yet, remember?"

Huffing, she pouted, but only wrapped an arm around the one she was leaning on and nodded. They'd set up this system so that they could voice everything, get all the questions in without completely derailing into a new topic too fast as they had the first few times they'd started doing this.

Smiling at her understanding, he continued, "The complex answer is that though there is no proof of it, there is also no proof of an afterlife. Of ghosts and heaven and hell, but those are things that most people – even shinobi – believe in." She blinked, but nodded, conceding that he had a point. "I think we have souls because without them, there is no cycle of life. We are born; we go through life with a set course of some sort that isn't always followed, and then we die. The soul allows us to be born again and therefore completes the cycle."

She stayed quiet for a several long moments, contemplating his answer and weighing whether she agreed or not. And how much. He had a point completely on all parts that he'd brought up and she found herself agreeing completely. But for the sake of conversation, she took the other side of the argument.

"But as you said, there is no proof. Therefore could it be possible that there is no rhyme or reason? Couldn't it be possible that when we die, that's it? That physical birth and physical death is the only range we exist in, and everything else is us as humans wanting to believe in something more."

He nodded easily. "Certainly, but as you just brought up as well, humans want to believe in something more, and a soul – formless and unexplainable – is the perfect scapegoat for that. What is wrong with wanting to believe that there is more to our existence than fighting only to die in the end anyway? Knowing that there is something beyond death gives us a reason to keep going and accept that, though death is after life, there is still more and therefore a reason to keep going. To keep fighting and keep believing."

She smiled, already aware that this conversation, though very interesting, was not going to go anywhere past where they'd already gone because they were both on the same side of the answer for her specific question and no amount of arguing a different side would work because neither of them believed it. So they would subconsciously end up back on the same side, saying the same thing. Yes.

They lapsed into silence as she knew he'd reached the same conclusion as well. She wondered idly if the rest of the walk would be without words.

"Sakura."

She blinked and looked up questioningly; it was rare that he did that. If he wanted her attention, he would start speaking, not call her name. He had the kind of confidence that if she was in the viscinty, he expected that she was already listening. She hummed all the same. "Yes, Itachi?"

"What do you plan to do with the rest of your life?"

Now that really threw her off guard. Sure they were close and asked each other questions that gave away a lot about themselves and what they believed and thought and felt, but never had they gotten directly personal. Not like this. She wondered briefly if that meant he wanted to be more personal, but quickly pushed that train of thought aside; otherwise it would lead to too many branches and lots of questions that she had absolutely no answers for. "I don't know, I guess keep doing what I'm doing. Friends, family, work." She shrugged because she honestly hadn't thought about it. Her early years had been all about getting to where she was now and she was content to stay there.

He didn't pause. "Family?"

She stopped walking, suddenly very wary of where this was going. "Itachi?"

He'd come to a halt beside her, but her arms had still fallen away and she'd picked her head up off his shoulder. He turned to face her completely. "What about family?"

She frowned. "What about it?" Her parents had died when she was still in the early teenage years. During the Sound and Sand Invasion, her house had been crushed by a huge snake, and her parents hadn't had the chance to get out in time. And she was an only child so her family consisted of her team and mentors even though they weren't blood related.

"Do you plan for one of your own?"

Oh. _Oh_. She blushed because the fact of the matter was that yes, she had. And she had thought about it with Itachi in that picture. Her mind raced for something to say; something that answered the question properly, got him off her case about the subject, and didn't include mention of him. So saying no was out of the question, but yes merely invited more inquires.

So what should she say? What _could_ she say? Making a point to not look directly into his eyes, she nodded awkwardly. "Kinda."

"You want one?"

"Yes."

"Is that it?"

Why couldn't he just drop it? Oh right, because it was Itachi and he didn't work that. Neither did these conversations. But technically they weren't walking anymore so she had no obligation to answer. A voice in the back of her mind laughed at this feeble attempt to console herself.

She paused and then shook her head. "Itachi, where are you going with this?"

He took a confident step forward as he locked gazes with her. "I've thought about it. In fact, I know exactly what I want." It was as if she hadn't just spoken at all.

"Itachi–mmm!" Her green eyes went wide as she found herself cut off by a pair of lips covering her own.

"And what I want is for you to be my wife." His voice was so silky and deep, she shuddered from overload.

He'd just kissed her. Not long, but it had conveyed everything he wanted it to. And then he'd made sure there was no room for misinterpretation by telling her he planned to wed her.

Married. He planned to have her as his wife. He planned to be her husband.

No matter how many times she tried putting the information through her brain, it simply wouldn't process, and so she decided to respond on autopilot. Which in light of the current conversation, she wasn't sure of whether that was the best idea or not.

But he'd wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close. He'd trapped her in sable depths and froze her with hot breath on her lips because he was still mere centimeters away.

And really, she figured that she'd never be able to think straight no matter how many times they got so close, so what did it matter if she didn't throw logic in the mix? What did matter if she simply allowed her head to bob in consent and enjoy the way his chest vibrated with approval? And most of all, she let herself be swept up by his kiss. But this time, she found herself kissing back.

She had a feeling that she would always love going on walks.


	37. 51 Impress: Attentive

**Title:** Moments in Time: A Close Up

**Author:** AppleL0V3R

**Beta-reader:** SymphoniaFreak

**Fandom:** Naruto

**Pairing:** Uchiha Itachi and Haruno Sakura

**Chapter:** Thirty-Seven – #51 Impress: Attentive.

**Rating:** T

**Type:** One-shot – Complete

**Summary:** Prompts from Moments in Time that I was requested to expand on. 37. 51 – Impress: Attentive. She matched him step for step and that would never change.

**Word Count:** 2,110

**Disclaimer:** If you've heard of it before, then it's obviously not mine.

**Note:** As the summary states these are skits I was asked to turn into actual works. I will always put which one it was and the skit just before the chapter. They won't be in numerical order because I'm doing them as I'm requested. They won't be any more than one-shots though they may become two to five –shots (I will forewarn when that happens) but they won't become stories unless I choose to.

I honestly didn't know where to go with this one (is it just me or is it a lot like #31 Lust? The little snippet anyway) and so I didn't expect it turn out like this. My apologies if you don't like it. It was also written in a rush (in like a half hour literally) and I will revise with much more detail later.

**Request by:** Anime Freak456

**Edited on:** January 17, 2012

* * *

51. Impress (Itachi)

Itachi was a very hard person to impress, he'd achieved so much that few were even near his level on any one subject. Not even his family.

Itachi was a very hard person to impress; he'd achieved so much that few were even near his level on any one subject. Not even his family.

She did though.

Her intelligence shined in green eyes. Quick reflexes in the field and in general. She was unusual to see with pink hair and pale skin; she gave off a relaxed vibe that belied her crammed schedule. And her personality: she was fierce but compassionate, she loved children and would do anything to protect those important to her. She never put herself first, but didn't hesitate to defend herself.

Her intelligence shined in green eyes. Quick reflexes in the field and in general. She was unusual to see with pink hair and pale skin; she gave off a relaxed vibe that belied her crammed schedule. And her personality: she was fierce, but compassionate; she loved children and would do anything to protect those important to her. She never put herself first, but didn't hesitate to defend herself.

She was definitely on equal footing with him, definitely worth his time.

And he'd never even met her. Not yet anyway because he planned to change that.

* * *

Shisui had always complained that he didn't pay enough attention to girls. And his reply was always the same: there wasn't one to catch his eye. So the outgoing Uchiha would shake his head with exaggerated dramatics and say solemnly that it would be a miracle when one finally did. Itachi would raise an eyebrow and the older one of the two would tack on that it would be down right amusing if the girl wouldn't even look Itachi's way.

Itachi in turn would state that no such girl existed and, if she did, by the time he found her he would be married and it wouldn't matter.

And that would be the end of that conversation as the cousins found something else to chat about.

That had been how that particular topic went for many years, even past Itachi's eighteenth birthday. But it definitely didn't last until the nineteenth one. Why? Because he'd found that girl. The exact girl who didn't have the time of day for him because he'd never even so much as met her.

The kicker was that she was his little brother's cellmate. Though he had no real problems with this fact, he knew the implications would give him trouble. Sasuke would not be so quick to accept, not with how protective he and Uzumaki were of her, and when he did he wouldn't be willing to leave the fact alone. But what mattered most to Itachi was that his little brother and his best friend did keep such attentive eyes on her as best as they could because no matter how strong she'd proven herself to be, she was just as problem prone as her teammates.

That would be a point in his favor though; it would give him an adequate enough reason to keep a close eye on her as well without her having much of an argument in turn.

But the reason why this one girl had his attention without him having ever met her was because she had impressed him. And that was no easy feat. Itachi was a very hard person to impress; he'd achieved so much that few were even near his level on any one subject. Not even his family.

She did though.

Her intelligence shined in green eyes. Quick reflexes in the field and in general. She was unusual to see with pink hair and pale skin; she gave off a relaxed vibe that belied her crammed schedule. And her personality: she was fierce, but compassionate; she loved children and would do anything to protect those important to her. She never put herself first, but didn't hesitate to defend herself.

She was definitely on equal footing with him, definitely worth his time.

And he most certainly planned to change the fact that they'd never met before. The task itself would not be hard. Although getting and keeping her attention might prove a challenge.

* * *

As it were, he'd been completely wrong. For the first time in a long time, not even his preliminary guess had been right.

He knew she wasn't avoiding him; she didn't even know him – another fact he planned to rectify – and there was no way she could possibly know he was trying to at least catch her eye, even in passing. But that busy schedule of hers was beginning to truly irk him because it was getting in his way. Itachi made a mental note to make sure that when he wanted her, she would not be working or anything of the sort and would have time for him.

Pushing aside his irritation, he settled into his normal pace as he crossed the distance to the hospital. He'd just gotten back from a mission with his team and though he usually avoided check-ups, even if they were supposed to be mandatory, he decided this time he would go. If only to see if she was currently working. She didn't work normal hours or on a set schedule. Sometimes she worked from midnight to noon, or vice versa, sometimes she was there from seven to the eight the next day, and other days she was playing with poisons and no medic would bother her or permit him to.

But he was certain she still did rounds no matter what else she was doing at the hospital; she liked keeping up with patients and how they were. And since his injuries were not too severe, he could definitely try requesting her specifically. And if she wasn't there he could try catching her at home.

As simple as his plan sound, he'd tried it before under different circumstances – though with the same goal – and it hadn't worked any of those times. He was getting fed up enough that he was willing to find her when she was spending time with her team. But that wouldn't be the best way to start off the relationship – he could think of a number of negative outcomes coming from such an action – so he had refrained up until that point.

When he got there, he easily moved to the front desk. The older woman who sat behind it glanced up, did a double take, but then smiled. "Uchiha, what are you doing here?"

"Routine check-up." He answered simply and ignored the way she blinked in surprise. "If it's not too much trouble, I would like to know if Dr. Haruno is in."

Still completely off guard, she sorted through papers with a look of bewilderment before finally looking up. "Yes, it appears she is. Would you like me to get her for you?" He nodded stiffly. Finally. "Alright, then please wait in the waiting room; it should only be a few minutes."

With that, she stood from her seat and was gone. He was thankful she had been one of the older nurses; the younger ones all seemed to trip over themselves to do as he asked and didn't like it when other females were asked for. It was, as the Nara genius would say, troublesome. It helped, he supposed, that she was a civilian through and through.

True to her word, she returned and motioned him forward after making eye contact. He rose seamlessly and followed as she led him down several corridors until finally, she stopped before one and with a light double knock smiled at him. "She's right in here." And then turned on her heel and left.

"Thank you." He called after her appreciatively.

"Come in." Came a woman's voice, Sakura's, just as he'd turned back to the door.

He didn't even pause as he opened abovementioned barrier and padded in, closing it behind him out of sheer habit.

Sakura's long, pink hair was pulled back in a messy, once professional bun as she sat, poring over a file, her head bent and her legs crossed under her desk. There were files all over the place, but as chaotic as it looked, he could see the method to it. However she didn't glance up as she continued to write on whatever piece of paper was before her. "May I help you?"

He took a few long strides forward, stopping only when the desk was a mere few inches from his person. "Dr. Haruno?" He wanted her attention, wanted to see her eyes, not the crown of her pretty head.

She hummed. "That's me." But didn't look up.

He frowned imperceptibly. "I require a routine check-up."

Her pencil stopped immediately, and this time she did look up. In fact she'd jerked her head up, but she hadn't put her writing utensil down or closed the manila folder. He was satisfied though, because now he had her eyes. Her big, doe-like green eyes. They were almost narrowed as she appraised him with curious if slightly irate eyes. "I'm sorry, but I'm not on my rounds at this time. So you can either find another nurse who I'm sure is more than adequate for the job or you can tell me what you really want."

Her perceptiveness caught him unawares though he didn't show it, and he felt something in him rise to the challenge. Clearly she really was on his level, and he had been right. Though, if Shisui was as right as his older cousin had been so far, this wasn't going to be easy. But he was more than okay with that because it would be boring otherwise. And besides, now that he'd gotten her attention all he had to do was keep it.

So Itachi didn't bother trying to keep the glimmer out of his eyes as he allowed the ghost of a smirk to surface. It made her immediately wary, but he saw a bit of anticipation creep into her shoulders. "I am here for a check-up."

She scowled then. "Uchiha, I happen to be perfectly aware that no one in your family likes coming to the hospital. Especially not for something like a check-up when there doesn't appear to be any possibly permenant damage, least of all you."

"My name is Itachi, Sakura. And I wasn't finished."

"Oh? Then please, continue."

Yes this game would definitely be fun, and he was certain that he would win.

Leaning over the desk, his hair spilling over his shoulder in the process, he allowed the smirk to take full hold as her eyes watched the strands before darting back up to his eyes, apprehension clear in her own. How transparent. But that was alright; she more than made up for it and it wasn't like she needed to either. He'd heard she could use it to her advantage quite well. In fact, he'd heard plenty of things about her that he'd like to verify for himself.

"I'm here because you are a very hard person to pin down. And I find that I think it would be fun to play such a game with you, Sakura."

He watched as her green eyes became the size of dinner plates, her irritation and almost sarcasm falling from her countenance. Then determination settled on the surface.

She leaned forward as well, leaving enough room to gage response, but close enough that he could feel her warm breath on his face. "I don't know what game you're talking about, Itachi. But I assure you, you won't win."

Fun indeed.


	38. 52 Two: Catch 22

**Title:** Moments in Time: A Close Up

**Author:** AppleL0V3R

**Beta-reader:** SymphoniaFreak

**Fandom:** Naruto

**Pairing:** Uchiha Itachi and Haruno Sakura

**Chapter:** Thirty-Eight – #52 Two: Catch 22.

**Rating:** T

**Type:** One-shot – Complete

**Summary:** Prompts from Moments in Time that I was requested to expand on. 38. 52 – Two: Catch 22. She was forever between pathways. This time it was hard: home or heart.

**Word Count:** 1,375

**Disclaimer:** If you've heard of it before, then it's obviously not mine.

**Note:** As the summary states, these are skits I was asked to turn into actual works. I will always put which one it was and the skit just before the chapter. They won't be in numerical order because I'm doing them as I'm requested. They won't be any more than one-shots though they may become two to five –shots (I will forewarn when that happens) but they won't become stories unless I choose to.

**Request by:** Anime Freak456

**Edited on:** January 26, 2012

* * *

52. Two (Sakura)

The rock or the hard place.

Sakura seemed to have a knack for getting caught between the two in very hard situations, forced to make very hard choices. She had come to anticipate them, over time allowing things to take their course, crossing the bridges as she got to them, and saving each bridge from fire that she could. It was never easy.

And yet, now she found herself at the worst crossroad she'd ever come to.

Itachi or her home.

He hadn't pushed her, merely warned her that it would come and that she would have to choose. It made her want to pick him.

When the two of them stood at the border, she couldn't stall anymore. "Home is where the heart is."

* * *

Sakura had never really understood the adage 'caught between a rock and a hard place'; it simply didn't make sense. The way she saw it, at least one was movable, like the rock, so it wasn't really much a boxed-in scenario. But then again, she'd never faced such a decision before either. Sure, she was forever choosing between two things in life, but so was everyone else. Stay or go, do shopping or get in some training, hang out with friends or do work. So she'd never thought much of it, and she'd especially thought the romance dramas way too exaggerated. To her, it seemed pretty simple: choose what would make her happiest.

And now here she was, caught between that figurative rock and the hard place.

Hers weren't moveable, the choice could not be put off and she knew she couldn't bear to actually give one up. But she had to.

The rock or the hard place.

Sakura seemed to have a knack for getting caught between the two in very hard situations, forced to make very hard choices. She had come to anticipate them, over time allowing things to take their course, crossing the bridges as she got to them, and saving each bridge from fire that she could. It was never easy.

All the others paled in comparison to this one because they weren't like this. Even when she was forced to choose with the foreknowledge that she could never regain what she'd given up, it hadn't been this hard. She found herself at the worst crossroad she'd ever come to.

Itachi or her home.

He hadn't pushed her, merely warned her that it would come and that she would have to choose. It made her want to pick him.

When the two of them stood at the border, she couldn't stall anymore. "Home is where the heart is."

His black eyes watched her for a moment longer before he nodded – was it her, or was that a flicker of pain? – and turned on his heel. He was leaving. Caught off-guard, panic rose quickly, forcing her stomach into her throat and pushing her heart harshly against her ribcage. Without even thinking about it, she pivoted on her heel and rushed after him.

Had he misread her? Or did he not want her to follow? The former was rectifiable, but the latter…she didn't know if she could take more heartbreak; especially not now, when she was absolutely sure of what she wanted. She wasn't a child anymore and he was most certainly not Sasuke. And she was determined to make sure this didn't end the same way.

She didn't even falter as she rushed to keep pace with him, steadily getting further and further from her home. Something in the back of her mind told her to go back; that this was idiotic and whimsical and what the hell did she think she was doing?

But that was just it: she wasn't really thinking. She was doing what her entire heart was pushing for. It didn't matter to her in the slightest that this wasn't logical; she'd done plenty of things that weren't logical and they'd always ended well.

This would just be another one.

When she finally caught up, she slowed to his pace until she was instep and directly to his left. His black eyes blinked down at her, and that barely there flit of pain she was sure had been there before was relief this time. And this time, instead of walking, he halted.

Determined to show that she'd always be beside him, she stopped when he did and turned to face him completely.

The second she did, his arms were around her, pulling, tugging, almost yanking until she was completely against him. He didn't pause or even slow as he dropped his arms to her waist and wrapped them tight, squeezing in a near painful fashion as he did so.

But she didn't fight, didn't complain because now it was clear what he wanted; she'd never fight that. Instead, she lifted her forearms up, because his own trapped hers until the elbow, and settled them on his hips, grasping the waistline of his slacks and wishing she'd never have to let go. Wishing he would never let go.

They stayed like that for a long while, but if they ever let go it would be too soon. Eventually though, his arms relaxed as whatever had caused such a reaction relented. He shifted on his feet and turned his head from its place of resting his chin on top of her head to nuzzle into her neck, breathing in the scent of her hair that he hadn't bothered to push out of his way. Slowly, his arms tugged up, never once losing contact so her clothing slid with the motion until he bothered to pull it back down when it got too high. His strong arms settled around her neck, one hand splayed across her upper back and the other tangling into her pink hair.

"Are you certain?" His voice was strained as if waiting for her to suddenly pull back, turn around, and never look back as she chose not him, but Konoha.

She smiled though, tightening her hand. "Wouldn't have it any other way."

He breathed deeply, pulling back enough to be able to make eye contact. She was floored by the raw emotions she saw there, by how they all ran into each other as they swirled and mixed. But they were all almost the same: heat, affection, appreciation, want. It made her body shiver as she knew she felt the exact same. He locked eyes with her, and she couldn't look away even if she wanted to, which she definitely didn't. She found she loved the sight of his eyes falling to half-lidded in that sexy way of his, loved how he slowly leaned down and the feel of his breath on her lips as anticipation zinged through her.

When his lips fitted against her, as if they were the missing part of the puzzle, she felt the remaining emotion that she hadn't picked out immediately. Love. With a smile, she eagerly returned the kiss and everything it stood for.

Because the fact of the matter was, home wasn't a place. Home was a person or group of people, and for her, home was and always would be Itachi.


	39. 54 Stare: Final Destination

**Title:** Moments in Time: A Close Up

**Author:** AppleL0V3R

**Beta-reader:** SymphoniaFreak

**Fandom:** Naruto

**Pairing:** Uchiha Itachi and Haruno Sakura

**Chapter:** Thirty-Nine – #54 Stare: Final Destination.

**Rating:** T

**Type:** One-shot – Complete

**Summary:** Prompts from Moments in Time that I was requested to expand on. 39. 54 – Stare: Final Destination. Every road in life ends the same, but some have more fortune for the misfortunate.

**Word Count:** 1,220

**Disclaimer:** If you've heard of it before, then it's obviously not mine.

**Note:** As the summary states, these are skits I was asked to turn into actual works. I will always put which one it was and the skit just before the chapter. They won't be in numerical order because I'm doing them as I'm requested. They won't be any more than one-shots though they may become two to five –shots (I will forewarn when that happens) but they won't become stories unless I choose to.

My apologies, I realize that this has every potential to be longer especially with the 'after everything, we got where we wanted to be' line, or even the 'brother-in-law' thing. But for right now this is what I'm leaving it at. Well, depending on how much I like it when I come back to it and if you wish me to make it longer. If not, then I will happily leave it as it is.

**Request by:** Anime Freak456

* * *

54. Stare (Sakura)

"Staring isn't going to change it." Her best friend finally stated.

She stared.

He nearly growled. "Sakura. It's final. So stop staring."

She kept staring.

Scowling, he looked ready to strangle her. "Aniki!"

After a few moments, said elder brother appeared in the doorway. Sasuke motioned to the rosette frozen in time beside him, and then vanished.

Smirking, Itachi skirted around his newlywed-wife until he was behind her.

She nearly jumped out of her skin when she felt arms encircle her waist. "Itachi? When did you get here?"

"When you aggravated your brother-in-law."

She nodded absently. "I still can't believe it. After everything, we got where we wanted to be.

His grip tightened and he kissed her neck. "And that won't be changing anytime soon."

* * *

They were shinobi, and there was no good ending in such a career. It was riddled with strife and hardship and pain, and it never finished the way any of them thought it would.

She always figured she would die on the battlefield or in the hospital. It seemed the most logical conclusion since she spent a good majority of her time between the two and the extra time with family and friends and teachers - especially the squirrely as hell ones who didn't like to do their paperwork.

But for the most part, she was happy with her life. Happy that, in such a harsh world, she'd been given so many things to love and cherish.

Including him. Especially him.

Oh how she loved him. She couldn't imagine her life without him and honestly, she didn't want to even try. Sure, it had been one hell of a hard road to get here, but here they were. And here they'd stay because she knew he wanted this just as much as she did.

Where was here? Wedded.

She even had the ring on her finger to prove it, and to be honest, she simply couldn't stop staring at it.

"Staring isn't going to change it." Her best friend finally stated.

Because really, how perfect did life have to get that her childhood crush became her best friend and his older brother became the love of her life? And on top of that, they could live together; as in all of her friends and colleagues knew and they were happy for her. If the turnout of how many people showed for the ceremony was any indication. Because Itachi was back in Konoha, at her side, pardoned and able to truly live for once.

He nearly growled. "Sakura. It's final. So stop staring."

She kept staring. And live he would, with her for a very long time. Because she was not going to give him up easily.

Scowling, he looked ready to strangle her. "Aniki!"

After a few moments, said elder brother appeared in the doorway. Sasuke motioned to the rosette frozen in time beside him, and then vanished because he was just not going to put up with her.

Itachi blinked at the sight of her as she stared at the piece of paper with both their names on it. The one that said they officially belonged to each other, until death do they part. The thought was warming though he didn't need a sheet of paper with ink on it to know she was and always would be his. So, smirking, Itachi skirted around his newlywed-wife until he was behind her; she didn't give any indication that she'd seen him or even knew he was there. Oh his oblivious wife. He was reminded how he would have to pay more attention to her to make sure nothing went wrong.

But that didn't mean he was above using her own quirks to his advantage.

She nearly jumped out of her skin when she felt arms encircle her waist. "Itachi? When did you get here?" He almost glowed at the reminder of just how in tune with him she was, to not even need to see him even though he'd taken her so completely off-guard.

"When you aggravated your brother-in-law."

She nodded absently. "I still can't believe it. After everything, we got where we wanted to be." Here, beside each other for as long as they both shall live.

His grip tightened and he kissed her neck lightly. "And that won't be changing anytime soon."

She hummed, an arm coming up to rub one of his own, her actions still absent. As gratifying as the knowledge was, he found himself wanting her full attention. And he knew just how to go about getting it.

With one deft movement, he had her turned in the circle of his arms, and as he tangled one hand in her hair, he pressed his lips to hers. Immediately her arms came up around his neck as she kissed back, and he couldn't help the rumble low in his chest as he basked in the feel. Her long hair was silky and she smelled of candy but tasted like strawberries; her skin was silky and her body warm as she pressed tighter against him.

They stayed within that simple kiss for a long moment, reveling in each other, loving the feel of having one another pressed so thoroughly and comfortably against the other. He didn't back off more than a centimeter, didn't try to regulate his quickened breathing or disguise his smirk at her breathlessness.

Her smile was slow coming, but it reminded him of an angel's, so trusting and endearing. "No. Definitely not."

And they were kissing once more. This time though, not so innocently. This one carried the undertones of desire and compassion and hinted at promised activities that sent shivers down both lovers' spines. But they didn't rush, there was no need to. After all, they now had all the time in the world to enjoy each other, in every sense of the words.


	40. 55 Accident: Meant To

**Title:** Moments in Time: A Close Up

**Author:** AppleL0V3R

**Beta-reader:** Terror-Of-The-Crimson-Night

**Fandom:** Naruto

**Pairing:** Uchiha, Itachi and Haruno, Sakura

**Chapter:** Thirty-Eight – #55 Accident: Meant To.

**Rating:** T

**Type:** One-shot – Complete

**Summary:** Prompts from Moments in Time that I was requested to expand on. 38. 55 – Accident: Meant To. Things happen all the time, not all are intentional. Though sometimes he wondered.

**Word Count:** 1,700

**Disclaimer:** If you've heard of it before, then it's obviously not mine.

**Note:** As the summary states these were skits I was asked to turn into actually works. I will always put which one it was and the skit just before the chapter. They won't be in numerical order because I'm doing them as I'm requested. They won't be any more than one-shots though they may become two to five –shots (I will forewarn when that happens) but they won't become stories unless I choose to.

I'm thinking of giving this one a sequel, it just doesn't feel that complete but I like where it's ended. We shall see if I can't tweak one of the skits to continue this verse.

**Request by:** Anime Freak456

..:Xx0o0xX:..

55. Accident (Itachi)

It was an accident. Sure, Uchiha, Itachi, youngest police chief in existence didn't end up in accidents without meaning to, but he definitely hadn't meant to. It was nothing like colliding with another car because one of them wasn't paying enough attention, he didn't make those kinds of mistakes. At least, he hadn't thought he did.

He'd been trying to get through the crowd as quickly as he could; it was a rare occasion that he was running later than his usual early. He'd bumped into her; she lost her balance and got scorching hot coffee all over the both of them. She got the brunt of it, but that didn't change the fact that his white undershirt was stained.

Irritation had ignited almost instantly.

..:Xx0o0xX:..

"Damn."

It wasn't normal for Uchiha, Itachi to curse, but the fact of the matter remained that today was just not his day. He hurried out the door as quickly as he could, sliding into the driver's side of his vehicle and tossing his things in the passenger side. Apparently the power had gone out for some strand of time while he'd been sleeping and his phone had died so neither one had woken him on time this morning. Thankfully he was used to being up so early otherwise he would have been up hours later than he was supposed to be and his situation would be worse.

But that had only been the beginning of his not so great morning. He'd rushed around his apartment to get ready as quickly as he could. But as fate would have it, there was a lose floorboard that tripped him more than once – only his catlike grace kept him from actually falling – his water had been temporarily shut off – a detail he'd known about but had planned to be gone by the time it happened, but clearly was not – and his microwave had overheated so he couldn't simply heat the cup of tea he'd prepared the night before.

All of this had added up to a more and more irate Uchiha as it took even longer to get ready than usual and he was nowhere near as ready as he would have liked. But with the thought that he'd gotten through worse with less of a problem, he had grabbed an apple and his things before rushing out the door. Thankfully, his car didn't see fit to give him problems on top of everything else and so he was able to shave off a few minutes by switching lanes a little too much and going a little too fast. But he was the police chief and he was allow to bend rules did get what he needed and right now he needed to not be as late as possible.

Neither Sasuke nor Kisame were ever going to let him hear the end of this; he could already hear the boy and his best friend now. The blue man would be grinning and laughing while the youngest would be smirking with glinting eyes as he asked mockingly 'lose track of time, aniki?'

And he was already getting a headache from it.

Muttering curses to himself he pushed to go faster.

Not soon enough, he was parking his car and hurrying out of it, things and eaten apple in hand as he did so. Swiftly, the door was shut and the car locked as quick steps guided him out of the parking lot and onto the sidewalk. Almost there. But his black eyes were so focused on the building that he didn't pay enough attention to the always crowded area that he waded through absently.

It was an accident. Sure, Uchiha, Itachi, youngest police chief in existence didn't end up in accidents without meaning to, but he definitely hadn't meant to. It was nothing like colliding with another car because one of them wasn't paying enough attention, he didn't make those kinds of mistakes. At least, he hadn't thought he did.

He'd been trying to get through the crowd as quickly as he could; it was a rare occasion that he was running later than his usual early. He'd bumped into her; she lost her balance and got scorching hot coffee all over the both of them. She got the brunt of it, but that didn't change the fact that his white undershirt was stained.

Irritation had ignited almost instantly.

He heard her curse under breath before turning to him. There was an apologetic smile on her cherry lips, and it only served to further irk him. "I'm totally sorry, Sir."

It hadn't been her fault, he was the one who hadn't been looking, but was he going to admit that? Maybe if he weren't running so late, but as it were, no, he would not own up to his blunder. Instead he narrowed his eyes and glanced pointedly down at his shirt – the one with small but there stains, "I don't care about your apology."

She blinked, her expression twisting into one that looked like she'd just been smacked. Then green eyes narrowed as fire flickered to life. Normally he'd take the time to appreciate the sight because he'd always preferred self-confident women. Though the pink hair was slightly off putting.

He narrowed his eyes in turn. "Are you going to move?" Itachi could have skirted her, forgot the whole thing but suddenly, he was in instigating mood and the fact that he was getting later by the second was shoved from his mind. It would take at least fifteen minutes to go back home and change, then get back here anyway. What was another minute on top of that?

Her posture shifted into a more solid stance, "Are you going to ask nicely?"

He nearly growled, she was going to cause him even more trouble? That simply would not do. So he took a step forward, certain by the brief flicker in her eye that it had been intimidating, but she still didn't back down. She seemed determined to hold her ground, he wondered belatedly what she did for a living – or perhaps it was her family and friends, maybe she was just naturally antagonistic and confident.

She made a show of huffing. "Look, I'm pretty sure we both have somewhere to be, so how about I go to the left and you take the right and we both forget the other person even existed? Fair?"

He frowned, something in him didn't like her reasonable idea. It made sense; it meant he got to work faster. Right, work, shirt. That's what he didn't like. "No. You ruined my shirt."

Now she scowled, "And my _white _is completely stained. I think a few drops on a black suit isn't that noticeable."

"Of course your shirt is soaked, it's your fault."

"What?"

He quickly thought about what he'd just said. Irritated or not, usually he kept a pretty damn good handle on what came out of his mouth. And that, he definitely should not have said, that was a Sasuke or Neji statement. He took a quick step back. She'd been right, so perhaps he could leave without creating a scene because that was the last thing he needed right now.

"Oh, no you don't." She growled, her eyes spitting green fire at him as she quickly closed the distance between them. Her small, gloved hands grasped the front of his suit as she stopped with her feet between his. "Look here pal. You're the one who wasn't paying attention to the crowd."

At least she wasn't shouting, but he definitely did not like her in his face like this. Allowing his suitcase to fall to the ground beside his leg, he reached between them to grab her hand before she could continue on her tirade. "I would appreciate it, if you didn't touch me in such a familiar sense." And proceeded to tug on the hand, pulling it free of his person.

The only reason it worked so easily is the fact that he apparently caught her off guard. "O…kay…" She sighed then and removed her other hand. "Um. Whether you want it or not, I am sorry." With a shrug she bent down, grabbed his bag and held it out for him. "So…I guess I owe you a dry cleaning or something?"

Now it was his turn to be put out. That was it? All her irritation was gone, and she was willing to make up for something that wasn't her fault. Just like that. His lips parted as he reached out for the bag and slowly shook his head. "No." pause. "No, thank you."

She smiled, clearly appeased and with a wiggle of her fingers, stepped to the side and walked away. "Later, then."

It was all he could do not to gap at her like his little brother's best friend had a tendency to do.

What a strange girl.

But the strangest thing was that part of him wanted to meet her again.


	41. 57 Werewolf: Outliers

**Title:** Moments in Time: A Close Up

**Author:** AppleL0V3R

**Beta-reader:** Terror-Of-The-Crimson-Night

**Fandom:** Naruto

**Pairing:** Uchiha, Itachi and Haruno, Sakura

**Chapter:** Forty-One – #57 Werewolf: Outliers

**Rating:** T

**Type:** One-shot – Complete

**Summary:** Prompts from Moments in Time that I was requested to expand on. 41. 57 – Werewolf: Outliers. Neither fit what they were supposed to be, but that was their opening.

**Word Count:** 1,700

**Disclaimer:** If you've heard of it before, then it's obviously not mine.

**Note:** As the summary states these were skits I was asked to turn into actually works. I will always put which one it was and the skit just before the chapter. They won't be in numerical order because I'm doing them as I'm requested. They won't be any more than one-shots though they may become two to five –shots (I will forewarn when that happens) but they won't become stories unless I choose to.

Does anyone else think this is like mini-story to story idea worthy? If I get enough yeses, by the way, I will probably added it to my story list (and it will take a millennium before I even post the first chapter but still), but that's a maybe since I've already got my hands full between the Moments stories.

**Request by:** Anime Freak456

..:Xx0o0xX:..

57. Werewolf (Itachi)

Itachi watched her with quiet eyes.

The same dull black eyes that continuously got him into trouble: they were the color of a vampire's, dark and ominous.

His family was prestigious, but what was unique was that each member was turned into a vampire. As the heir and prodigy everyone thought he'd be turned by the age of eight. But as it turned out, he would also be born as a vampire, something that hadn't happened since the clan was founded.

And when he was seven it showed, but when he was eight he was bitten by a Werewolf. By the time he was thirteen, it became almost impossible to hide.

Now he was nineteen watching the fifteen-year-old girl stare at the moon with longing.

..:Xx0o0xX:..

His steps were silent, his breathe nonexistent, as he approached. Most of the night it had been aimless, he was stuck in a party because his little brother loved to throw them – more to piss off their parents then because he actually liked them. And it wasn't just any party either; it was a completely mortal one, almost at least. If he had his brother weren't present then the fact would be true, but considering they were present it wasn't.

The only reason he was here was to look out for Sasuke. That and the brat had blackmailed him into coming and staying for the entire duration of the party, more so to enlist him on clean up help along with the younger boy's other friends than anything else. If weren't for those two reasons he never would have stuck around long enough to see the first guest arrive, let alone see the last one off.

But now, his steps had a destination. The petite girl, curled in on herself as she leaned against the wooden pole at the end of the dock over the small lake. He would guess that she was probably fifteen, but the look on her face. One of complete longing, aimed towards the moon as if the satellite had taken something precious from her. And in experience, there was every chance that it had, except she was completely mortal. When he was as close as he dared to come he paused and watched with quiet eyes.

The same dull black eyes that continuously got him into trouble because they were that of a vampire's, dark and ominous. They'd gotten him into trouble because the fact of the matter remained that he wasn't a vampire, not a complete one at least. He was what both kinds would call an obligation, caught somewhere between werewolf and vampire, doomed to be neither.

His family was prestigious, but what was unique was that each member was turned into a vampire. At a certain age that depended on the individual – though age was usually the teens – members of the Uchiha clan were turned into a vampire by a noble blooded vampire and bonded with that vampire for life. His father had been the human and his mother the natural born. But as fate would have it, except for the founding father of the Uchiha clan, no matter what the child's parent's were, the child was always human.

Itachi was the second exception.

As the heir and prodigy everyone thought he'd be turned by the age of eight. But as it turned out, he would also be born as a vampire. The catch, however, had been that not even he'd been aware, he'd been treated as a prodigy because his 'human' mind was so quick and he was so analytical. He was still the pride and joy of his family, but that was only because they didn't know he was different from them.

When he was seven his natural born vampire status showed and though whole clan as well as the royal vampires had been surprised, but pleasantly so. They'd begun making plans for him, big plans. And since he didn't need somebody to turn him, he would not be bound to any bonds except familial ones.

But when he was eight he was bitten by a Werewolf. Thankfully it hadn't turned into a catastrophe and he had a hell of a time covering it up. Wishing almost daily that he could tell someone, anyone what was going on. But his parents were too set in their ways, just like the rest of the clan and Sasuke was too young not to accidently tell someone else. By the time he was thirteen, it became almost impossible to hide.

That had been six years ago and now only Sasuke knew. The boy could be a brat sometimes, but Itachi was more than certain he'd never say anything about to anyone. That was just the type of person that he was.

He felt the urge to go closer to the girl, something pulling him to her. He wasn't sure what part of him, or if it was even in him, and for that reason alone refused to budge. If he was going to take another step in any direction, it would be backwards. But he didn't want to yet.

"I was taught that the Haruno clan is symbolized with a white circle because it is the corona of the moon. But the moon doesn't _have _a corona. The sun does, and that's not white." Her voice was soft and melodic.

Itachi stilled. Was she talking to him? Surely not. He hadn't made even the slightest sound.

"I can feel your breath. It's strong and relaxed, but repressed."

Yes, she was talking to him. But how…he'd never heard of such a thing. Being able to feel another's breath from so far away and knowing what he was feeling by it. Was it really possible? Unless she was a telepath, that could explain a few things.

"Its part of the clan, most never get the ability. And by the way no it's not some ruse to cover up telepathy or anything. It really is _feeling _someone else's _breath_. That's why my family is in the medical profession. Doesn't make it any less idiotic sound." She huffed. She'd kept her gaze on the moon the whole time, but now she finally looked back. "I'm just one of the unlucky ones. You understand right?"

His dark eyes narrowed, zeroing in on her for any type of bluff. But there wasn't…she knew. How?

She laughed, almost mirthlessly. "Like I said, your breath, it gives you away."

One cautious step forward. "And you said this was rare?"

"Thankfully. It's an old thing that's dying out, being replaced with telepathy and mind control and all that garbage."

Another step "Are you the only one who can?"

She nodded, "The last one was my grandmother, well five greats plus the grandmother. We stay alive long enough to teach the next one with it and in the mean time were pretty much stuck wondering how long does eternity last and if we're destined to find out. My sister passed away two centuries ago. I've never found anyone to be with though, they all die so young and it hurts too much to get close."

Before he knew it he was beside her, "Sounds like you need a companion."

She tilted her head so that he could see her wry smile, and her throat. "Or a great-great-great-great-great-grandchild."

"Child? Not daughter."

She shook her head, long pink hair going everywhere. "Nope. Can be a boy or a girl, but the last two have been girls. So I guess the lineage is either due to die out or produce a boy."

He opened his mouth to reply but a voice up near the house was just loud enough to cut him off. "Forehead! Come on!"

The girl sighed and rolled her eyes. Clearly, the female voice had been talking to her. "It was nice to meet you."

He frowned. That was it? The world finally give him something interesting and now it was taking it away? Well, he had heard somewhere that fate was a tease. But then something stopped him. "Your name is Forehead?"

The teen looking woman was already at the edge of the dock, when she threw a grin over her shoulder. "What do you think?" And then she was gone.

Itachi let his body fall into a seated position, already immersed in thoughts of the strange woman he'd just met and would probably never meet again. He wondered idly if that was her real name, because if it wasn't Sasuke would be of no use to him. The thought gave him pause, if Sasuke didn't already know the girl – wouldn't have mentioned knowing someone so unique? – then did Itachi really want to share his discovery just for the possibility of seeing her again?

No, he decided, he did not. And he'd let fate keep being a tease, because teases always came back.


	42. 60 Writer's Choice: Breath

**Title:** Moments in Time: A Close Up

**Author:** AppleL0V3R

**Beta-reader:** Terror-Of-The-Crimson-Night

**Fandom:** Naruto

**Pairing:** Uchiha, Itachi and Haruno, Sakura

**Chapter:** Forty-Two – #60 Writer's Choice: Breath.

**Rating:** T

**Type:** One-shot – Complete

**Summary:** Prompts from Moments in Time that I was requested to expand on. 42. 60 – Writer's Choice: Breath. What was the deference between life and death? She'd never been able to answer that.

**Word Count:** 1,810

**Disclaimer:** If you've heard of it before, then it's obviously not mine.

**Note:** As the summary states these were skits I was asked to turn into actually works. I will always put which one it was and the skit just before the chapter. They won't be in numerical order because I'm doing them as I'm requested. They won't be any more than one-shots though they may become two to five –shots (I will forewarn when that happens) but they won't become stories unless I choose to.

This one is another one that I'd like to make a sequel or two for. I hope you all feel the same, because it just doesn't feel complete as is.

**Request by:** Anime Freak456

..:Xx0o0xX:..

60. Writer's Choice (Sakura)

Sakura tilted her head. The black eyes of a teenager stared back, they were dull – though not necessarily cold. No one else was paying him any mind, which didn't make sense to her. When she was lost from her mommy not so long ago everyone noticed her. So why not him? He couldn't be any older than thirteen. He just couldn't.

"Excuse me." She ventured timidly.

He seemed to freeze, as if not expecting her to see him.

"Who are you?" Again soft, but growing more confident and curious.

His eyes turned contemplative before he slowly made towards her. She didn't back away even when he was a mere foot before her.

He opened his mouth and a passerby walked right through him. "A ghost."

..:Xx0o0xX:..

Ever since she was a child, Sakura had known she was different form all the other children. It wasn't hard to tell, she simply felt different, isolated. And though it had bugged her, she'd always had Ino and Naruto. So making it through hadn't been all that hard really.

It wasn't till she'd started getting older. Eight specifically, that she started figuring out just _why_ she was different. And it had hit her like a ton of bricks. She remembered it vividly because it was perhaps one of the most important days of her life all around. It was the day she meet her soul mate.

She was eight, her ninth birthday seemed so far off even though it was no more than a month or two away. It was winter, nearing the end of it, but still cold and white.

_Twenty Years Ago_

_Supermarket_

_Little Sakura walked just a few feet behind her mother, trying to keep up with the woman through the crowd. But her legs weren't nearly as long and she was still so easily distracted compared to her direct and focused mother. So it was no surprise when something on a stand caught her attention long enough that she lost sight of her mother._

_Determined to figure out how it worked, the small girl scooted to the side so that she wouldn't be in anyone's way and began playing with the cube shaped puzzle. She assumed the idea was to make all the sides one color, since there were nine squares, nine same colored stickers and six sides and six different colors. That and on the center white one there was a picture that showed how it was supposed to look when it was done._

_Already the little girl was curious and absorbed by anything that would present a challenge and force her to use her mind to solve it. So this little contraption had unfailing kept her rapt attention even as the minutes ticked by. The lady at the stand smiled down at her and asked her if she liked what she was holding. Sakura nodded, sparing her a glance and a yes before returning to her task._

_After a while though, when she got frustrated enough with the little cube, she looked up. And really looked around her only to realize that she'd separated from her mother. Again. Since this wasn't the first time that something like this had happened, Sakura had gotten better at figuring out how to get home from the supermarket. And though she was pretty sure she remember the way, she didn't know if her mother knew that she wasn't right behind or anymore._

_She'd also been taught that if separated for any reason, that she stay exactly where she was and wait for her parent to retrace her steps back to the little girl. But in the mean time, what was she supposed to do? Glancing down at the mostly finished cube, she decided that she really didn't feel like messing with the contraption anymore. Instead she glanced around once more to what she could do that was in plain sight of where she currently stood. Nothing too fun, otherwise she won't notice her mother when she comes, but something to preoccupy herself. _

_Little green eyes searched, carefully looking and weighing whether it fit the criteria or not. She was about to give up when something did indeed catch her eye. But it wasn't a something, it was a someone._

_Sakura tilted her head. The black eyes of a teenager stared back; they were dull – though not necessarily cold. No one else was paying him any mind, which didn't make sense to her. When she was lost from her mother not so long ago everyone noticed her. So why not him? He couldn't be any older than thirteen. He just couldn't._

"_Excuse me." She ventured timidly. Her mother had drilled the 'no speaking to strangers' lesson into her and she wasn't about to forget it in a hurry now, not matter what the circumstances were._

_He seemed to freeze, as if not expecting her to see him. Which was odd, after all, he was still a boy and as far as she knew, adults always noticed kids and most certainly they didn't go unnoticed by other children._

"_Who are you?" Again soft, but growing more confident and curious._

_His eyes turned contemplative before he slowly made towards her. She didn't back away even when he was a mere foot before her._

_He opened his mouth and a passerby walked right through him. "A ghost."_

_The first thing that came to mind was, _that explains why nobody noticed him_, the next was, _that's not an answer_, and finally, _wait doesn't ghost mean he died?_ She settled for voicing the middle one because it was the most important to her right then, "Not what, silly, who. What's your name?"_

_He continued to watch her with those eyes, those black eyes that she had the feeling should unnerve her. In fact, this whole situation should unnerve her and she should back away slowly before the reality of it set in. Before she finally realized that she was talking to a _ghost_ and that just wasn't normal. That this would make her a freak for the rest of her days. But she didn't. She didn't do anything but stare back with a smile, trying to use it to encourage him into speaking to her. _

_After what seemed an eternity he took another step forward to be beside her, settling on the bench that she was on. "My name was Uchiha, Itachi. What is your name?"_

"_Haruno, Sakura." She answered immediately, the further ramifications lost on her. She was still a child and couldn't possibly know that coaxing this boy into talking to her would change her life forever, and not just because she could talk to ghosts. What was more pressing to her then was, "What do you mean 'was'? Did your name change?"_

"_I died." His voice had grown very quiet and the tremor he set off went unnoticed by only the two of them. Everyone else seemed to freeze, but then again, everyone else had already faded from little Sakura's mind. _

"_That doesn't mean you lose your name. You're still you, aren't you?" _

_Again she was subjected to scrutiny, but finally the tremors died and the people of the marketplace seemed to breath a sigh of relief, but hurried to get through the rest of their chores anyway. "Very well, then my name _is _Uchiha, Itachi."_

_She smiled brightly at him, "Better. Why are you here, Itachi?"_

"_I died here."_

"_Then why stay here?"_

"_I can't leave."_

"_Why not?"_

"_I don't know. No more whys."_

_She was silent for a moment but then acquiesced, "How did you die."_

_The smile that came to his face was sad a wry, "You're a smart child, don't let it hurt you."_

_She blinked, suddenly at a loss for how to question that statement or even respond to it. And so for a moment they stayed like that, her staring at him with eyebrows furrowed and him at the ground with faraway eyes. "Did it hurt you?"_

_He paused, then nodded. _

"_Then I won't let it hurt me."_

_His head snapped up and his black eyes once more penetrated her green ones. "Good."_

"_Sakura!" Her hair whipped in the opposite direction of her head as she turned quickly at her mother's voice. It was the only one in the area, in fact the three of them were the only ones as far as the rosette could tell. _

"_Mama." She greeted, missing the concern and relief in her mothers dark green eyes._

_The small child turned back to her newest friend to find he was gone. She blinked and was about to call out but her mother's arms around her body stopped the words in her throat. Before she knew it, she was being pulled into her parent's chest and carried for the exit. She tried to peek around the shoulders and arms that were in her way, but was too small and suddenly so very tired._

_She felt the strong arms of the mother tighten around her and she felt herself lulled into sleep by the heartbeat underneath her ear. She'd find him next time, she decided._

Present Day

When next time came, he wasn't there, or the time after that or the one after that. In fact, he hadn't shown up until nearly a decade later. She was graduating and the principal of the high school was just wrapping up his speech when she caught sight of him. She stopped breathing for a moment, staring and wondering if her eyes were playing tricks on her. If that was really him.

But then speech ended and the caps were thrown as everyone cheered.

Everyone except her.

Because he was gone.


	43. 75 Pleased to Meet You: Impression

**Title:** Moments in Time: A Close Up

**Author:** AppleL0V3R

**Beta-reader:** Terror-Of-The-Crimson-Night

**Fandom:** Naruto

**Pairing:** Uchiha, Itachi and Haruno, Sakura

**Chapter:** Forty-Three – #75 "Pleased to Meet You": Impression

**Rating:** T

**Type:** One-shot – Complete

**Summary:** Prompts from Moments in Time that I was requested to expand on. 43. 75 – "Pleased to Meet You": Impression. First impressions are often the most important. And Sakura's said a lot.

**Word Count:** 1,960

**Disclaimer:** If you've heard of it before, then it's obviously not mine.

**Note:** As the summary states these were skits I was asked to turn into actually works. I will always put which one it was and the skit just before the chapter. They won't be in numerical order because I'm doing them as I'm requested. They won't be any more than one-shots though they may become two to five –shots (I will forewarn when that happens) but they won't become stories unless I choose to.

**Request by:** Anime Freak456, Uzumaki . Arashi . 67 (there aren't spaces but ff had problems with it without the spaces) and Wickedlovely

..:Xx0o0xX:..

75. "Pleased to Meet You" (Itachi)

"Hi, I'm Haruno, Sakura." He nodded to the teenage girl as she introduced herself at the door of his home with a bright smile on her face. He wondered what she wanted. "I'm looking for my teammate, Sasuke?"

She quirk a pink eyebrow, "You're his elder brother right?" He nodded again ready to step aside and allow her in. Whatever she wanted with his little brother was not his problem. "Oh, err, then can I possibly trouble you to tell Sasuke he's late and an idiot?"

He watched her for a moment and then nodded a third time. Her smile widened, "Great, thanks, I appreciate it. Pleased to meet you, Itachi. Goodbye." And then she was gone with a wave of her hand.

How intriguing.

..:Xx0o0xX:..

Unexpected and interesting things weren't common in Itachi's life. Not really, there was the rare occasion, but even then it usually wasn't that special. This fact was simply because Itachi was not an easy person to surprise, let alone do so and impress at the same time. His standards were high in both categories, understandably so, but true nevertheless.

So for the first time in a long time – when he is seventeen and given up all hope on the idea of a life that wasn't mundane and boring – he finds himself both surprised and intrigued.

It's a normal evening, relatively. He just got back from a mission the night before, just in time for dinner with his small four person family before he headed off to shower and relax in his room until he feel asleep. He had also just finished his mission report of the Hokage, and in a few hours he would go spar with his teammates and they would try to drag him to lunch. He hadn't decided if he would let them win this time or not, but he didn't see how it would matter if he did or not. But those were his only plans for today, and in four days he would be leaving for yet another mission.

Well, that and he was pretty sure his father wanted him to attend the clan meeting that was later today – or was it tomorrow? – but he was sure that was going to try and find a way out of it if he could. The meeting seemed to always be about the same things – problems that never changed, status, goals, and necessities from certain clan members at that given time – and so he didn't see what would be wrong if he skipped out on it. He knew that such an attitude towards the meetings needed to change if he was going to be a proper clan head, but he would worry about that when he had to. He still hadn't even contemplated a girlfriend, and taking a wife always came before becoming the head of the clan.

The rest of the time was his to do with, not that he was sure of how to spend it. Other training and some bonding time with his mother and probable outings with his team, there wasn't much else to do. He supposed he could find a way under Sasuke's skin if he really needed something to entertain himself, but that wasn't as fun anymore, it was far too easy.

He started back for his bedroom, stopping shot only when he heard a faint but firm knock on the front door. Curious he looked in the direction, waiting to see of the visitor would knock again. When they did, he headed in that direction and when he got to the door he easily slide it open. He was greeted with the sight of pink haired girl who couldn't be more than thirteen, her hand was raised and she looked about ready to knock again. Again he waited, but this time to see if she would say anything.

After a moment she did. "Hi, I'm Haruno, Sakura." He nodded to the teenage girl as she introduced herself at the door of his home with a bright smile on her face. He wondered what she wanted. "I'm looking for my teammate, Sasuke?" She quirk a pink eyebrow, "You're his elder brother right?" He nodded again ready to step aside and allow her in. Whatever she wanted with his little brother was not his problem. "Oh, err, then can I possibly trouble you to tell Sasuke he's late and an idiot?" He watched her for a moment and then nodded a third time. Her smile widened, "Great, thanks, I appreciate it. Pleased to meet you, Itachi. Goodbye." And then she was gone with a wave of her hand.

How intriguing.

Closing the door, he turned and headed for Sasuke's room. He'd thought the boy would already be gone for the day, clearly he was not. Itachi wondered briefly why his little brother would be intentionally late, enough to actually warrant one of his teammates to go looking for him.

Pausing in the doorway since the door had been left open, he found his sibling in bed with his back to him. Smirking slightly, he cleared his throat. "Haruno, Sakura stopped by." And watched as younger boy's body went rigid, "She wanted me to tell you that you were late and an idiot."

There was a bit of silence and he refused to budge until the youngest said something back. When said boy seemed to realized that, he glanced back over his shoulder to lock eyes, "Thanks, Aniki."

"You're not going, are you?"

He shook his head and turned onto his back, staring at the ceiling. Itachi frowned now, his brother could be stubborn as hell when he wanted to be. So what in the world would make him avoid his teammates? The heir knew full well that the Uzumaki and Haruno meant everything to his little brother, filling in the space that the Uchiha family had left. Had they had a falling out of some sort, or a simple fight? He waited for moment, knowing that if his otouto wanted to talk about it he would do so of his own accord.

"Have your teammates ever…did you ever had problems sorting family and friends?"

"No. My teammates left the topic alone. My friends however, swore that they'd have my back should I ever need it."

He nodded absently, "That's not what I mean. Sakura and Naruto have no problem with the clan, but well, the clan has problems with them. In general."

His frown deepened, he'd never heard about the elders getting on his brother's case for his choice in company. They'd certainly gotten on Itachi's, but he hadn't thought they'd do the same to Sasuke. Now he really would have to go to that meeting, because he was sure he'd made it perfectly clear years ago that they were to leave the second son alone. That his brother was not there concern anymore than any other teen his age was. "What have they done?"

"They tried to talk Tsunade into reassigning us, not just me, but they wanted to break up the entire team. Send Sakura to who the hell knows where and Naruto in the opposite direction and didn't really care where so long as they were as far from me as possible."

"It didn't work."

"Tsuande didn't take to well to being told her favorite apprentice should go to another village nor did she take to the idea of letting a potential successor work for someone else. And Naruto and Sakura themselves kicked up a fuss." She was the Hokage's apprentice; she was that Haruno, Sakura? Well that was certainly an interesting piece of knowledge he would have to hold on to.

"Did you?"

He didn't respond for a long moment and that was answer enough.

"If you wish to keep your friends – your family – then give them a reason to stay."

Black clashed with black before the younger male nodded, understanding clear. Deciding that he'd instilled what needed to be for the time being, Itachi stood once more from his previously leaning position. With one last once over, he turned and started for his room.

..:Xx0o0xX:..

"Oh get off my case, Sasuke." Sakura muttered without really thinking about it. She loved the boy like a brother, honest she did and she was so happy when all those years ago he started showing just a little more all the time that he did care.

But sometimes, sometimes she needed space and time alone. And for some reason or another he wasn't able to grasp that. More often then not, it was like he was always trying to show her that he cared in some small way. She wasn't sure what or who gave him the kick in the ass to do so but she both loved and hated them very much.

The nineteen year old kept stubbornly in her way.

She sighed, shifting all of her weight to her left leg, "Sasuke."

The guy didn't move, "You aren't listening."

"And what makes you think that?"

Arms slid around her waist from behind, dragging her backwards so she wasn't so toe-to-toe physically with her problem anymore. She hardly even blinked, leaning back quickly and pushing upward to kiss the man on his jaw, almost the underside of it. Then she returned her full attention to the young Uchiha.

Before either teen could say anything she felt lips at the side of her neck, the same side she'd turned to kiss on him. "Because you don't even try to do as he asks most of the time."

Black eyes rolled, "Hello, Aniki. Would you please deal with her?"

She knew instinctively his eyes had begun sparkling, "Of course, Otouto." She wanted to roll her own eyes, boys. But then the other boy was gone and she was left with the man at her back.

"Your not going to let me either, are you?"

His lips pressed a little further into her skin, moving to the pulse point and she could clearly feel the smile, "That would mean not having time to spend with you."

She huffed amusedly, "Brat." Sakura didn't miss the fact that he was steadily pulling her in the opposite direction she wanted to go and toward her house. "I'm never asking a favor of a very cute stranger who happens to be my comrade's elder brother."

Suddenly his mouth was on hers, almost harsh but definitely establishing, possessive, "No, your not, because your never getting away from this one."

Amusement and warmth and content all mixed together, forming love in every limb of her body. She kissed him back, turning to wrap her arms around him, "Of course, you're more than enough as is."


	44. 74 Tall: Advantage

**Title:** Moments in Time: A Close Up

**Author:** AppleL0V3R

**Beta-reader:** Terror-Of-The-Crimson-Night

**Fandom:** Naruto

**Pairing:** Uchiha, Itachi and Haruno, Sakura

**Chapter:** Forty-Four – #74 Tall: Advantage

**Rating:** T

**Type:** One-shot – Complete

**Summary:** Prompts from Moments in Time that I was requested to expand on. 44. 74 – Tall: Advantage. For the first time, Sakura found she hated how short she was.

**Word Count:** 1,680

**Disclaimer:** If you've heard of it before, then it's obviously not mine.

**Note:** As the summary states these were skits I was asked to turn into actually works. I will always put which one it was and the skit just before the chapter. They won't be in numerical order because I'm doing them as I'm requested. They won't be any more than one-shots though they may become two to five –shots (I will forewarn when that happens) but they won't become stories unless I choose to.

Sorry, it's a day late, my apologies. But I made sure that it was funny and cute to make up for that. I hope it makes up for the slight lateness.

**Request by: **N/A

..:Xx0o0xX:..

74. Tall (Sakura)

Sakura's height was average for her age, a nice build and a pretty face though she had an odd hair color coupled with attractive eyes. She was well aware of her physical appearance and had long ago accepted every part of it, using each to its proper advantage.

Normally, her biggest problem was making sure she wasn't spotted or remembered by the wrong person because of her hair. But now, as she tried to glare menacingly at the insufferable man before her, she realized the fact that she was no taller than his shoulder was making that pretty hard to do. And so, for the first time her height was a problem.

She would get back at him, as soon as she figured out how.

..:Xx0o0xX:..

Sakura wasn't the kind of person that could be forgotten easily, not unless she wanted to be. But that was a completely different story. This story wasn't about how forgettable she was, in fact it had nothing to do with being memorable to other people intentionally or otherwise. No, this was about low center gravity, or in other words, her shortness.

Sakura's height was average for her age, a nice build and a pretty face though she had an odd hair color coupled with attractive eyes. She was well aware of her physical appearance and had long ago accepted every part of it, using each to its proper advantage.

Normally, her biggest problem was making sure she wasn't spotted or remembered by the wrong person because of her hair. But now, as she tried to glare menacingly at the insufferable man before her, she realized the fact that she was no taller than his shoulder was making that pretty hard to do. And so, for the first time her height was a problem.

She would get back at him, as soon as she figured out how.

And all the while, he had the gall to be amused about the whole entire thing. "Having troubles, Sakura."

"That's Haruno to you, Uchiha and no, for your information, I am not having troubles." She ground out, feeling her eyes flash.

Some of his amusement seemed to drain slightly as the beginnings of a frown pulled on his lips. She would have jumped for joy, but stayed still so that he would give himself away. "I'm aware of what your name is."

She had to hold herself back from blinking. Admittedly she'd said that first part more out of irritation than anything, but that's what bothered him? Telling him to use her last name. She took a moment to marvel at the simple concept, and another to push aside the odd feeling that it caused. "I'm not saying you aren't, I'm telling you to use it."

The frown grew a fraction, but then he took a quick step forward almost invading her personal space. Did he have to rub in the fact that he was taller than her? It was really starting to get irritating. "Why would I do that?"

That threw her for a moment, but her racing mind had a response out of her lips before she could double check it and make certain it was something valid. One did not say things on a whim to Uchiha, Itachi that could be both potentially dangerous as well as humiliating should he choose to turn it back on the speaker. "Because, we don't know each other that well." And while that seemed valid enough, she wanted to clap her hand over her mouth. Instead she waited for his response as if she hadn't just unintentionally put her foot in her mouth.

"No?" Was it her or did his eyes just become hypnotic? No, they'd always been like that, she usually tried not to notice. But with him so close to her how could she not? "I'm sure we do, but if you feel that way, then I suppose it wouldn't be that hard to rectify it. Do you think?"

Every word was so quiet and full of emotion, but at the same time it wasn't. It seemed like the whole world had quieted just for him to be heard and she couldn't help but listen. Couldn't help but agree. In fact, she was about to nod that yes he made a whole bunch of sense and –

Her eyes widened and indignation mixed with anger reared its head, "Oi. Not cool."

His expression didn't change, not really, but his mouth did quirk up slightly in one of those trademark smirks that seemed imbedded in the Uchiha blood. It made her all the more irritated. "What isn't?"

"That." She started immediately, stopping short only when she realized she honestly didn't know how to explain what he was doing with out sounding like a complete and utter idiot. Yet another point in his favor. "You know what? I'm not having this…conversation because unlike _some _people I have work to do." She promptly spun on her heel and was about to reach in the medicine cabinet only to be reminded of why they were having abovementioned conversation in the first place.

She couldn't reach the necessary tablet.

Right then she wanted to curl in on herself and just die, because not only had she managed to look like a midget, but she'd put her foot in her mouth twice and now she was just further cementing his point. Was there no winning against Uchiha?

A tanner hand reached up, past hers and grabbed what she'd been reaching for and easily brought it back down. Feeling her fury still like a hot fire coiled inside of her, she refused to turn back to him. She would not give him the satisfaction of knowing he'd won. Again. Trying not to huff, she closed the mostly Plexiglas doors. "Give my the medicine, Uchiha." She even held out her hand expectantly.

But after waiting for a few moments, she still didn't feel the familiar weight in her hands and she was about turn to tell him off again when he placed his free hand in hers, lacing their fingers and pulling the hand downward. It had been so unexpected that the swiftness with which he moved and the abrupt downward motion caused her to stubble in his direction. She wasn't able to regain her balance in time and her shoulder collided with his nicely built torso and before the heat could even fully rush to her face, used her hand still holding onto his to turn her to face him once more and pull her completely against him.

Clearly on a roll, he didn't pause as he maneuvered his arm around so that he kept a firm grip on her hand and still got his arm to settle a little too snuggly at her waist. Still trying to adjust she opened her mouth and promptly clicked it shut when he squeezed that arm still around her in a warning kind of way. Scowling, she was about to try again, but was cut off again. This time it was by him kissing her completely on the lips. It wasn't long or drawn out, just a simple 'shut up' chaste kiss.

All the pushing and tugging and assaulting left her poor brain unable to keep up with whatever the hell he planned to do with her and so when he pulled back with a self-satisfied smirk she kept her mouth shut and didn't even try to struggle.

"See, Sakura? It wasn't that hard to get close once more and if you still have objections then I have no qualms about getting intimate as well."

She blinked, the gears were turning, she knew that, but what the hell was he saying?

"Now, if you'll ask kindly then I will also gladly give you back your medicine tablet and let you return to your work."

She blinked again and again and even a fourth time. When it still hadn't sunk in she decided for a different approach. Like focusing on the last part because that she could definitely understand. Narrowing her eyes, "Let me? Itachi, I think you're mistaken here, I'm not asking for permission–" This time it wasn't him who cut her off, but she stopped all on her own.

Why was he looking at her like that?

Then, to her complete and utter surprise, he started laughing with warm-hot eyes. And she was blinking again, had she missed something? Sakura was certain she hadn't said anything funny so why was he laughing? Quickly reviewing the words in her head she still found no fault and decided to go back to what he said. Her green eyes started to go wide and went wider still when she thought of her response again.

She really hated sticking her foot in her mouth. More than she hated how short she was. And most of all, she hated how this one Uchiha always _always _got his way.


	45. 77 Suicide: End Goal

**Title:** Moments in Time: A Close Up

**Author:** AppleL0V3R

**Beta-reader:** Terror-Of-The-Crimson-Night

**Fandom:** Naruto

**Pairing:** Uchiha, Itachi and Haruno, Sakura

**Chapter:** Forty-Five – #77 Suicide: End Goal

**Rating:** T

**Type:** One-shot – Complete

**Summary:** Prompts from Moments in Time that I was requested to expand on. 45. 77 – Suicide: End Goal. For the first time, Itachi had a second opinion about his plan for his life.

**Word Count:** 4,000

**Disclaimer:** If you've heard of it before, then it's obviously not mine.

**Note:** As the summary states these were skits I was asked to turn into actually works. I will always put which one it was and the skit just before the chapter. They won't be in numerical order because I'm doing them as I'm requested. They won't be any more than one-shots though they may become two to five –shots (I will forewarn when that happens) but they won't become stories unless I choose to.

**Request by:** Anime Freak456

..:Xx0o0xX:..

77. Suicide (Itachi)

She had a more violent reaction than he had anticipated. In fact he hadn't expected her to even care, let alone glare at him with so many emotions. Fury, disappointment, disbelief, concern, hatred, compassion. Each one ran into the next and she didn't bother to veil them in big, expressive green eyes.

"I can't believe you." Her voice was soft, quiet. It shook with emotion.

He didn't respond.

"I wouldn't have pegged you for suicidal." More of a growl now.

He narrowed his eyes. "You wanted to hear."

"You planned your death! You wanted to make Sasuke a hero? All he'll do is suffer with your plan. Isolated, hateful, angry, _empty_. It's not going to go away when he kills you. The least you could have done was spare him the pain, you suicidal moron."

..:Xx0o0xX:..

He'd learned first hand that messing with fire always ended up getting someone burnt. But he'd learned over the years to tame that fire, bend it to his will so that he never ran that risk. Not till now.

Sakura wasn't tamable; she couldn't be pushed or trapped into anything, not even with her hands tied to the point of cutting into her wrists, her mouth gagged and her energy depleted. She didn't bend unless she wanted to. And that was because she wasn't just fire. Her green eyes danced bright with fire and Itachi knew that green fire, though very exotic, was a lot hotter than any normal fire. It was second only to blue fire and she definitely had the strength to show it.

But she didn't scream and kick; she didn't use underhanded tricks either. She took everything thrown at her with a head held high and smoldering eyes that promised retribution. That didn't mean though, that she wasn't above loopholes. She took every opportunity to be as uncooperative as possible without raising a fuss or doing anything that would warrant any emotions stronger than irritation. He knew it was because she felt that if they were going to make her uncomfortable than she wasn't going to allow them to be satisfied either.

And though he could applaud her strength, right now it was hindering him. Stopping him from getting what he wanted and Uchiha, Itachi had never been too fond of being kept from his goals.

He had her in his custody because she knew exactly where his little brother was, but she wouldn't speak. She wouldn't even go near the topic, ignoring him completely if she had to. It was irksome and he couldn't figure out why in the world she would protect his brat. The boy had done nothing but shun and hurt her, yet here she was doing everything within her power to shelter him, to keep him from what she viewed as an enemy.

Itachi blinked. That was it. She thought he was the enemy, if he could make her see that he was not, that he wanted what was best for Sasuke as well, then there was every chance that she'd tell him what he wanted to know. Standing from his seemingly relaxed position in the chair he headed for the door to the hallway. Kisame watched him pass without a word, but grinned, clearly the blue man already knew what he was up to. That was why the Uchiha liked his partner, he was just intuitive enough that Itachi didn't need to even say what he was doing and unless the swordsman had a problem with it, didn't do anything to contradict.

His booted feet took him down the hallway of the small building that he had been using as a safe house. It was on the edge of Kiri, right outside the border where the Fire Country and Wave Country meet the gray area that was no-man's-land. He'd found this place by accident when he was fifteen, and had never gotten caught in the sparingly little time he was within its walls.

Stopping at the end of the hall, he rapped the back of his knuckles softly on the door before entering. The bed was directly opposite the door and there were no windows in the room, nor was there any other doors. It was the only room in the house that was like this and since anyone entering or leaving the room could be clearly seen from the living room, it had been the most ideal to put her in. The kunoichi herself had her body twisted in an uncomfortable looking way on the bed, clearly using her abundance of time to get some sleep. Upon his entrance, she'd opened the one eye that wasn't buried in the pillow before promptly letting it fall shut once more.

He knew she wasn't dismissing him or the threat that he posed, but he'd obviously caught her in a groggy state. His stopped by the bed and crouched down, but didn't say anything at all to her, his vantage point of mere feet away allowed him to observe this side of her. With all her spirit and spunk, she'd refused to let them see even the slightest bit of vulnerability. And yet here she was letting her eyes stay shut without even fidgeting even though she knew he was right there. He could see that she'd maneuvered her body so that her legs were slightly bent, keeping her on her side while she'd crossed her arms at her wrists behind her back.

Her arms must be aching; he hadn't once let the restraints even so much as loosen in the short time he'd been keeping her here. She shifted a little, placing one of her legs a closer to him and moved the other half the distance. Itachi kept quiet, instinctively guessing that she was trying to talk herself into sitting up and meeting him head on like a she had been all this time. But the fact that she was stalling told him something new, she was getting tired. Not just physically, but emotionally. Did she know how much more fight she had left in her? Did she know she was giving herself away right this very moment?

When she still hadn't even opened her eyes after a few moments, he decided to test a new theory. Reaching over her with one arm, he grasped her elbow with a light but firm grip, keeping a steady eye on her the entire while. This time, both green eyes came into full view, but she didn't do much further than that as her body went rigid. How intelligent they looked, he mused, so much knowledge and instinct and emotion laid bare for all the world to see. There was so much there, that it was almost impossible to pick one thing out as dominate, almost too hard to catch her train of thought.

Slowly, as if making a show of not paying her any mind even though he'd locked eyes with her, he let go of her elbow to trail fingertips down the flesh of her skin. Only briefly did he flicker his crimson eyes to his hand as he did so when he saw a slight tremor go through her, and noted the gooseflesh in the wake of his idle hands with piqued interest. With this new found interest, he chose on a whim to explore it further, it wasn't like there was any reason he shouldn't, she wasn't objecting. In fact her body had relaxed once more and green eyes slipped shut when his focused elsewhere.

A corner of his mouth lifted slightly, still watching his hand and her flesh as it finally got to the bindings. They'd been there long enough that even though they were still firmly in place – she hadn't even tried to sabotage them it seemed – he could see how raw it had made her pale skin and felt the complete lack of chakra in her completely. It took a brave shinobi to stay so still and relaxed in her circumstances. More points in her favor.

With a sudden, quick tug, the bindings wore torn from her limbs and discarded beneath them. This time, more than her eyelids moved, her eyes came open, large yet narrowed, and her upper body raised a little. When he'd removed the chakra wire, he'd once more seized her wrists, both of them just to be on the safe side, but she hadn't even tried to get one of them under her at the very least. Her head was off the pillow and her legs more curled in so that her feet were only a few inches from their hands, but otherwise she didn't do anything. Staying as still as death, she seemed to wait for him to make the next move.

Gliding his eyes along her body, he found himself complimenting her instincts and wisdom once more. Had she done any more or even made the slightest move to get free and run he would have had a knife to and possible cutting into her throat as he pushed her back down. But that wasn't the case, she'd come right to the line and stopped. Yes, he definitely would have loved to play with this one a lot more.

"Do you have no fear, Kunoichi?"

"My name is Sakura, I'm sure you know that by now."

He tilted his head slightly and waited for a proper answer.

Scowling at him, she let her body go limp once more, flopping back down into the bed. This time, more on her back and had to wiggle to urge him into moving his arm so that she could do so with both wrists crossed and completely in his grasp. In the end she got the position she wanted, but it had caused him to lean forward slightly and rest his arm across the length of her abdomen. It was nicely toned under his weight, he noted idly.

"I assure you, I have healthy quota of fear. No sane person wouldn't."

He chuckled lightly at her added insinuation, "A sane person would indeed, but that's not what I asked."

"Yes it is, you said 'do you have no fear' and I told you that I did. Implied questions don't count."

Pausing for only a moment, he conceded to that, "What would you do if I let go of your wrists right now?"

"Rub them."

He almost blinked at the simple answer. Curiosity got the better of him and so he did just that, let go of her. True to her words, she pulled one out from under her to rub the raw skin at a more comfortable position. Pulling his hand back, he simply watched, waiting to see what she would do when she was satisfied. When she finally did, she clasped her hands and let them drop onto her stomach. Then she turned her head to look him in the eye once more.

For such a docile action, he knew the belying message. And he also knew it was in direct correlation to his first question. Choosing not to halt it, he let his lip tug upward into a small smirk of wry amusement once more.

To his surprise it drew a smile out of her, followed by her flipping her body onto its side yet again, ending up in the same position as she had been when he first entered. But this time she'd moved one arm to support her head in the crook of her elbow, hand disappearing from view as the other rested lightly on her hip.

"So what's next?"

"If you're good, you stay untied."

"Good…I think I can manage that."

He raised an eyebrow, "Even if that means completely answering my questions?"

The smile was gone in instant and she put both arms out in front of her, "Might as well as bind them now."

He ignored them, shifting his weight to one foot as he did so. "Where is Sasuke?"

Locking her jaw she stared back at him. Clearly, she still wasn't going to speak, but this time around, he had no intention of budging. And thus, they were stuck in a stare down of sorts.

"Why'd you do it?"

Again he tilted his head slightly, inquiringly. That wasn't the response that he'd been looking for, but if she was willing to go near the topic he wasn't going to pass up the chance for a simple captor-captive complex. As far as he was concerned she knew full well who was in charge here and that he was letting her play this game so no real harm was being done. "Do what?"

"Torture him like that? I get that you were ordered to kill your family, screwed up as it is, I get that. I also get that you, for your own reasons, wouldn't kill Sasuke. But why turn compassion to sadism? Why kill him like that?"

"I did not kill him." That was not something he would have on his conscious on top of everything else, never once had endangered the boy's life. Not once and he wouldn't have it mistaken otherwise.

"Have you seen his eyes recently? Dead. So why?"

The knowledge was disheartening, because no, he had not even seen a glimpse of his precious little brat since he was twelve. And at that time, the emotions swimming in his eyes had been more than proof of life, even though they kept alternating mostly between anger and hatred at the time.

"To make him stronger."

"Bull. He was eight. Why'd you do it to him?"

He was quite for a moment, assessing her, surprised with how quickly he'd called his bluff. A bluff he'd been shoving down his own throat all these years, telling himself that it was the only reason that mattered.

"To show him he didn't need me."

She snorted, "Hell of a way to do it."

Frowning, he found himself starting to get irritated for the first time in a long time. "Kunoichi, you are trying my patience."

"Play with me a little longer." Her voice had lost its listless and nonchalant edge. No longer was it mild and causal, but it was quiet and seeking. "Tell me the story. The whole thing, facts don't mean any more to me than numbers do. If you'll tell me the whole story, from your point of view, no political crap or red tape or anything of the sort, I will tell you exactly where Sasuke is and what condition he's in."

He froze for a moment, "Condition?"

Sakura shook her head, "Story first."

Calculating eyes ran over her once more, this intriguing little thing that he had to admit would be good company. After a long moment, he sought her eyes out once more – they were his favorite part of her, so big and green, so exotic and powerful – and finally nodded.

She smiled faintly and scooted over to make room for him on the old mattress.

..:Xx0o0xX:..

She had a more violent reaction than he had anticipated. In fact he hadn't expected her to even care, let alone glare at him with so many emotions. Fury, disappointment, disbelief, concern, hatred, compassion. Each one ran into the next and she didn't bother to veil them in big, expressive green eyes.

"I can't believe you." Her voice was soft, quiet. It shook with emotion.

He didn't respond.

"I wouldn't have pegged you for suicidal." More of a growl now.

He narrowed his eyes. "You wanted to hear."

"You planned your death! You wanted to make Sasuke a hero? All he'll do is suffer with your plan. Isolated, hateful, angry, _empty_. It's not going to go away when he kills you. The least you could have done was spare him the pain, you suicidal moron."

Quicker than lightning, he was on top of her, pushing her down even though she hadn't moved since she'd first settled into the position nearly an hour ago. He pushed her onto her back, easily finding her arms and trapping them above her at the wrists – skin still red and new – as he leaned down until his necklace rested on the crease between her lips and his nose almost touched hers. "I humored you, that does not mean that I will simply let you insult me, Kunoichi." His voice was quiet and deadly.

He was about to push backwards when she opened her mouth and tugged on the intricate but simple chain. "Sasuke is at the Sand and Rain boarder, just inside the Wind Country, right next to the where the two lands meet with the third one, the one to the left of Ame."

Stilling, he waited for her to continue, ignoring how she struck him as alluring with his one precious memento – the one and only thing his mother had given to him as a child – in her mouth.

"He's in a comatose state. Before you say anything, I induced it, his mind would have killed him from the amount of pain he was in if I hadn't. Right now, his body is still recuperating and he will wake up, if I'm not wrong, he should be lucid and coherent – if left to do so by himself – in two weeks. Shorter if a medic speeds up the process, however that isn't advisable, all things considered." She paused, seeming to go over some list in her mind as she did so. "I'm assuming you know that Madara has had contact with him?"

Itachi frowned. He had not been aware.

"Well, that's why he ended up the way he did in the first place. Madara seriously messed up his train of thought and goals and everything, in the end Sasuke came a hares breadth from clinically insane. That's also why I put him in that state, it's so his mind can sort out all the crap it's been overloaded with."

She sighed, the chain clinking slightly with her teeth as she did so, "I honestly don't know how he's going to react to you. That's why I wanted to know what happened back then. As far as I can guess, there is a very real possibility his mind might label everything Madara said as hallucinations and never happened, or to cope his mind could have blanked itself completely. In other words, amnesia and I have no way of knowing if it's permanent or not."

He shifted slightly, nestling his knees a little more comfortably against her hips as he did so, but still didn't pull back. "There is nothing more you can do for him?"

She shook her head slightly, not enough for the chain to ever fall out of her mouth, "No, the rest is all him and his mind and rationale. And time, there's no telling how long the actually recovery process could take, if it's even possible."

He nodded, absently letting go over wrists to more fully support his weight.

Finally. He was going to get what he wanted, and no, he hadn't expected to be easy, but this wasn't going to be any trickery than he'd originally anticipated. But Sasuke was completely across the lands, all the way in Suna. He paused at that, "You said he was _inside _the Wind Country."

She nodded slowly, clearly not seeing the point of the statement. Not at first but after a moment it clicked, "Remember Sabaku no Gaara? Naruto isn't his only best friend from Konoha. I've helped him out enough that he didn't have any object to having Sasuke there so long as it was on the borders and there was no threat to his people."

Itachi decided to file that bit of knowledge away with all the other things that pertained to this woman and her usefulness. Speaking of which, it was about time he did something about his necklace being between her teeth. "Sakura. Is there any particular reason you are biting my necklace?"

She blinked and to his surprise blushed a pretty pink, quickly pushing said object out of her mouth as she did so, squeaking a quick 'no' and 'sorry' in the processes. He let his gaze sweep over her yet again, this time to compare the image to the one just moments before. He wondered if she looked in such a way with other things in her mouth, or if it only had any effect when those things belonged to him. Picking up his hand once more, he placed fingertips against her cheek and much as he had to her arm, he trailed it lightly across the skin.

The flush darkened, but he was more focused on the path of his fingers. In soft slight designs, he let them dance to the edge of her mouth, skirting under and over but not quite touching. He dimly registered her pulling her arms down so that she grasp fistfuls of his shirt or the way her breathing got shallow. After a little more of this, he dragged his middle and index fingers along her full bottom lip, adding pressure as he did so.

A soft sound vibrated from the back of her throat as not for the first time, her eyes slid closed. She was clearly enjoying the sensations, but he had yet to answer his idle question so he had no intention of exploring into just how many sounds she could make even with her mouth closed. Not yet.

Pressing one finger more fully against her skin at the center of her mouth, closer to the crease so that the flesh would yield more easily, he tugged on her jaw slightly, to get his finger passed her teeth. He paused like that, sweeping his assessing eyes once more. It was when the thing in her mouth belonged to him, he decided finally. It was so much more…satisfying. Slowly, almost reluctantly he pulled his hand back; in doing so he got a slight sound of protest out of her.

Smirk back in place, he reached behind his neck to unclasp the chain. He'd had the simple thing for so long that it felt almost odd to remove it now, but he was finding there were many theories he wanted to test on her. And many curiosities, one after the other. Pushing aside her long pink hair – strangely, he didn't see it as exotic as her eyes – and linked the chain so that it wouldn't come off of her. Settling back he decided he liked the sight he was met with.

She peeked an eye open at him, curious but not shy, as she pulled one of her own hands back to touch the new weight on her skin. She blinked with surprise, her eyes full of askance once more, but the smile was in place.

"I've changed my mind, Sakura. You won't be going anywhere."

"Oh? Then I'm assuming you want something else from me."

He tilted his head, never once losing eye contact, "Something like that."

She hummed. "I think I can live with that."


	46. 5 First Kiss: Fantasy

**Title:** Moments in Time: A Close Up

**Author:** AppleL0V3R

**Beta-reader:** Terror-Of-The-Crimson-Night

**Fandom:** Naruto

**Pairing:** Uchiha, Itachi and Haruno, Sakura

**Chapter:** Forty-Six – #5 First Kiss: Fantasy

**Rating:** T

**Type:** One-shot – Complete

**Summary:** Prompts from Moments in Time that I was requested to expand on. 46. 5 – First Kiss: Fantasy. If Sakura was going to keep fantasizing she should at least try to go through with them.

**Word Count:** 3,195

**Disclaimer:** If you've heard of it before, then it's obviously not mine.

**Note:** As the summary states these were skits I was asked to turn into actually works. I will always put which one it was and the skit just before the chapter. They won't be in numerical order because I'm doing them as I'm requested. They won't be any more than one-shots though they may become two to five –shots (I will forewarn when that happens) but they won't become stories unless I choose to.

**Request by:** darkangel791

..:Xx0o0xX:..

5. First Kiss (Itachi)

Sakura was the type of girl who fantasized about her first kiss. Itachi had concluded that easily considering she told him all her fantasies since their first conversation.

She had been hurrying down a staircase at school; he was at the bottom of it waiting for his brother since school was out for the weekend. She slipped and fell, crashing it him and marginally missing his lips.

Ever since, they had been joined at the hip. To the point that she'd call at two A.M. – 'to hear him breathe' in her words – and say nothing. They'd come to this point gradually, what with his caution and her busy schedule.

At some point he started writing her fantasies down.

All that's left was to fulfill them.

..:Xx0o0xX:..

Muttering inanely under her breath, Sakura hurried to the end of the hall. She was late, she was so late and Tsunade was going to murder her. When she got to staircase that was in sight of the main entrance doors, she took them two at a time. All the while her quick brain was trying to think of how the hell she would get to the hospital without being late, and if she was, how to do it without having her godmother at her throat for it.

She would say it wasn't her fault, she would say this was completely Sasuke and Naruto's fault. After all, weren't best friends supposed to wake each other up at the bell or when the teacher is looking, provided said best friend falls asleep in class? Sakura had been under the impression, that yes they were supposed to, especially when the two bone heads _knew _she had to meet Tsunade right after school with no dillydally time in between.

But the fact of the matter was, she'd been day dreaming, not sleeping. And the two knew her well enough to know the difference and were just enough of jerks that they'd take the loophole and let her continue day dreaming for nearly fifteen minutes. Brats. They were both complete and utter brats and she was so going to get back at them for this. Their fault or not, she would have revenge. And she already knew the perfect way to do it.

First however, was getting to the hospital as quickly as humanly possible. At times like this, she wished she could teleport or something, it would make her life so much easier and getting somewhere on time wouldn't be so hard. Glancing at the clock on her wrist she saw that she had five minutes to complete a ten minute drive. Crap. Just as she was about to let her arm drop, she lost her footing. Her eyes went wide and a shock of panic seized her chest as suddenly she went from rushing to falling. Falling with almost a fourth of the flight of stairs left to go.

Her lips parted but no scream, no sound whatsoever came to her lips. It was all she could do to squeeze her eyes shut as her body tensed for the landing. Some part of her mind, the medical and logical one most likely, chose that time to tell her that it would hurt less if she let her body go limp. But she was Sakura and a teenager, and not quite a doctor so she tensed further. She found herself suspended in the air for what felt like hours, but she was pretty sure it was only minutes, until she did crash into something.

But not the floor. No, the pink hair student had collided with a some_one_. And she didn't know if it was some sort of irony or not, but her face came dangerously close to his. She'd always fantasized about what her first kiss would be like, and one of the scenarios was that she would trip and fall against the hard chest of the guy she had a crush on and would have the luck of ending up kissing by accident because of how she fell into him.

So the irony was that this was similar but different in everyway, tripping meant no real harm but she'd fallen down a flight of stairs, she crashed into a complete stranger, not some guy she had a crush on, and though they'd come marginally close, they had not ended up kissing by accident. However, the guy did wrap his arms around her, probably out of instinct, and he was totally hot from what she could see, and he lost his balance enough that he fell too.

She felt enough heat rise to her face that she would have sworn that she looked like a fire truck or something equally red as she found herself literally sprawled on top of her savior – who was a stranger! – and pressed almost intimate fashion with the way his arms were around her.

With wide eyes, she tried to scramble of the poor guy, "I'm sooo sorry."

Somewhere between crashing into him and falling to the floor, he'd closed his eyes, only opening them as she wiggled about. It stopped her dead, they were black, like Sasuke's except they had a bluer quality to them and something else that she couldn't quite put her finger on. His voice was quiet. "Are you alright?" But he didn't loosen his tight grip on her midsection and so she was stuck laying on of him.

She blinked, tall, dark and handsome was also a gentleman. "Err, yeah. But you're the one ended up on the floor with a teenage girl on top of you so I think that should be my question more than yours."

The eyes opened a little further and he shifted, finally loosening his hold as he moved to set up. She took that as her chance to get off and put at least a few inches of distance between them. She was about to apologize again too, because what she had said was true and she hated making first impressions like this. However, he pushed to his feet, making her feel even more like a midget than usual, "I'm fine." Then he proceeded to reach out his hand to her.

Again she blinked, and then smiled as she took it graciously, letting him help her to her feet. Her blush still didn't lessen and even though she was now on her feet as well, she still felt short and very nervous. She blamed that on her humiliation and the fact that he had yet to let go of her hand. How was she supposed to ask for it back, especially when he was being so nice about the whole situation?

Seeming to sense her thoughts he let her hand fall from his grip, "Be more careful, next time there might not be someone to catch you when you fall." She couldn't help but think that if he was on the other side she hoped he didn't catch her because he'd be someone she'd very much like to fall for.

But he had to be in his early to mid twenties and she was still in high school so that wasn't exactly ideal at the moment and besides she had too much to think about as is what with school and Tsunade –

Her green eyes went wide at the reminder. A quick glance at her watch told her that she was already late, stifling a groan she moved to the side. "I will, sorry again, but I've gotta get going." And she was hurrying past, her mind racing for a proper thing to tell her godmother when she showed up late, looking disheveled and out of breath. Now she really did groan at the implications of that, knowing that the blonde would pick them out as well and then she would never hear the end of it.

So caught up was she, she didn't feel his gaze as he watched her disappear through the doors as she took a sharp left. And she definitely didn't see how his lips quirked upward with amusement as he shook his head.

But Sasuke did as he watched the whole thing from the top of the stairs, his expression somewhere between disgruntlement and interest. "Oi! Aniki, are we going?"

Said male glanced up at his younger brother and then nodded. Turning on his heel, he headed for the door not bothering to check if the younger Uchiha was behind him.

..:Xx0o0xX:..

From there, the two seemed on a continual collision course. Sometimes it was intentional, other times it was purely accidental. But within a year, it became very common to see one with the other; in fact it was odd to see one without the other when it wasn't school hours or something of the sort.

After the first few meeting, Sakura had accidentally mentioned how she wanted her first kiss to be like something out of a romantic comedy, something that filled her heart even as it stole it away. Itachi had raised an eyebrow and nodded, but the subject didn't go much further past that. But afterwards, the rosette had no qualms about telling him her fantasies here and there until eventually she would actually call him if she could as they came to her.

Unbeknownst to her, at some point, Itachi had started recording him. Mostly in a small booklet journal in jotted notes, but they were more so he could keep track of them all. And not long after he'd started arranging them into a way that he knew she would probably like; only one could be the actual first kiss, so the others would need modification, but he didn't quite see the problem with that. Every now and again, he would glance at the list, note that it had gotten at least a page longer since last he'd looked the whole thing over and then do a little organizing before depositing the collection of paper and leather back where he normally kept it. At first it had been in his desk drawer, but as the two spent more time together, he ended putting it on a shelf he knew Sakura couldn't reach easily.

He hadn't really understood himself why he'd started writing them down. As close as they were, it'd rarely crossed his mind to get even closer in that way. And as one year turned to two, Sakura stayed as close as ever but started dating guys.

Her first relationship lasted almost a month to the day, but didn't go much further because she felt that the two weren't compatible. No kiss ever transpired in that one, which just disappointed her all the further. Her next one lasted half that time because the guy was a playboy as she put it when she sought him out with fury in her eyes. He himself had been having a bad day that day, but seeing her so livid and learning why had served to amuse him as he settled for the task of calming the spitfire down. The one afterwards managed nearly three months, ending only because she realized that she didn't like her boyfriend like that.

He remembered because it had been at some time in the early morning or late night when she called. It was two a.m. and when he picked up all she said was his name, just once and very quietly. The call had woken him and he'd been irritated at first, but still stayed up for the next our not saying a word as he held the cell phone to his ear. The next day, she'd been back to her usual bubbly self, thanking him loudly as she wrapped her arms around his neck in a mock bear hug. She proceeded to tell him exactly what happened to make her call him and not talk. When he asked why she'd stayed on the phone if she had only intended to fall asleep on him rather than talk at all, she told him that she couldn't sleep at all and hearing him breath had been the only thing she could think of to remedy that.

It amazed him how the girl could go through three whole relationships and not even end up with one single kiss. But that was Sakura, he knew, and she rarely asked for perfection so when she did she wouldn't back down until she found it.

By the end of the fourth relationship she was ready to call it quits and swear off guys for eternity. Which really shouldn't have caused anything more than a laugh and a shake of his head, but it did. Something in him had seemed to click.

She'd barged into his apartment with the spare key she'd stolen from him but never bothered to give back. She'd been pissed of as she stalked in and immediately headed for his room, not once considering that it was rude of her to yank open his door at five in the morning and set on his stomach. His eyes came open quickly as he jerked slightly at the awakening, but she refused to budge, not even glancing at him when he asked her to.

"Sakura." His voice held a hint of exasperation. "If you won't get off, could you at least move?" It wasn't the most comfortable thing in the world to have a young woman sitting on him stomach first thing in the morning.

She huffed and crossed her arms as she leaned back against the wall. "No."

Realizing that she wasn't going to get off until she was good and ready, he opted for a different approach. "What he'd do?"

"He kissed me."

A simple statement, and considering the fact that she was dating the guy, there shouldn't have been any problem. He felt something inside him heat and twisted in an uncomfortable way that he realized he really didn't like and he also realized was because of the fact that he wasn't her first kiss. All their friends and family had joked that Sakura's first kiss, last kiss and all the ones in between would be from Itachi. But here she was, telling him, that she no longer had a first kiss to take.

"There's something wrong with that?"

She nodded, shoving of her shoes as she did so, clearly trying not to break the straps in the process. "I broke up with him because I caught him kissing someone else, and when I tried to leave after tell him it was over. He, well he grabbed my arm, pulled me back and kissed me."

Frowning, he found himself wondering how to kill the guy without getting in trouble for it. And then he decided that it didn't matter if he got in trouble for it so long as he made the guy suffer. But he pushed that aside because right then, there was nothing he could do about it. He could, however, do his best to placate the girl still sitting on him. And the first thing that needed to be done was getting her off of him.

Shifting a little bit more, he paused and then moved as quickly as he could, knowing it would take her completely off guard. In one fluid motion, he'd toppled her over and pulled her down so that she was lying beside him. He'd wrapped his arms around her waist and tangled her feet with his own so that she couldn't struggle into some unpleasant position like she was wont to. "When?" He asked simply, while still waiting for her to regain her bearings.

Green eyes blinked once then twice, a scowl crossing her lips before being replaced with a pout, before finally sifting a little so as to get comfortable in her place. "Last night."

He nodded, squeezing his arms just slightly as he did so, "Well, there's nothing that can be done about it now." She opened her mouth as fire sparked into her eyes, "And before you say it, I know. Your first kiss wasn't how you wanted it to be. Life's not perfect, Sakura you know that. So you can either take a deep breath, accept that it happened and move on with your life or you can be angry and bitter about it forever."

Again she huffed, but closed her mouth, moving her arms so that they curled around his waist. "Let's go with option C. Pretend it never happened."

Black eyes rolled, she could be so childish sometimes, but he couldn't agree more. He also wanted to act like her first kiss hadn't been taken by someone else and again he was met with the realization that he wanted it for himself.

Not good.

"And how do you propose to do that?"

She shrugged, eyes idling about his room before finally settling on his face. Her whole body stilled before a smile lit up her face, "By using it as a reason to get my real first kiss."

The response and abrupt change had him backpedaling as his mind raced to figure out where she was going with this, "Sakura–" And found himself cut off by a pair of lips.

The first thing that registered was that she tasted like cherries. The next was that it was odd considering she always smelled like strawberries. And finally it was that she'd meant that he was supposed to be her first kiss.

This was nowhere on the huge extensive list, but as he watched her eyes slip closed and the anger drain right out of her body, he too closed his eyes. He pulled her a little closer, forgetting that it was still just past five in the morning in favor of the idea that her 'official' first kiss was now his and that the girl was in his arms, in his bed. He couldn't think of a better way to start off the day.

She pulled back with a happy smile. "There, so much better." And paused for a moment, "Morning, Itachi."

There was nothing else he could do than laugh softly as he shook his head with pure amusement. "Good morning, Sakura."


	47. 85 Dress: Little Black Dress

**Title:** Moments in Time: A Close Up

**Author:** AppleL0V3R

**Beta-reader:** Terror-Of-The-Crimson-Night

**Fandom:** Naruto

**Pairing:** Uchiha, Itachi and Haruno, Sakura

**Chapter:** Forty-Seven – #85 Dress: Little Black Dress

**Rating:** PG-16

**Type:** One-shot – Complete

**Summary:** Prompts from Moments in Time that I was requested to expand on. 47. 85 – Dress: Little Black Dress. Itachi reminded himself to never tell Sakura to dress nice again.

**Word Count:** 1,840

**Disclaimer:** If you've heard of it before, then it's obviously not mine.

**Note:** As the summary states these were skits I was asked to turn into actually works. I will always put which one it was and the skit just before the chapter. They won't be in numerical order because I'm doing them as I'm requested. They won't be any more than one-shots though they may become two to five –shots (I will forewarn when that happens) but they won't become stories unless I choose to.

So I figured I'd put a warning here. There is no smut or lemon in this chapter but it definitely leaves off towards that so if you don't want to read such a thing or you feel that it's above teen (I don't think it's all that far from it and definitely not M, but that's just my opinion.) then please don't read.

**Request by: **Anime Freak456, Akatsuki Sakura Uchiha, angel1897, mUmaRhz

..:Xx0o0xX:..

85. Dress (Itachi)

He couldn't help the heat he felt the moment he saw her. He'd told her to dress nice – the first time he had since they started dating – because they would be going to his family-company event. He still didn't know how he'd talked her into it considering it was actually two events back-to-back and she hated such uptight, high-class events. She liked casual and homey. He did as well but he was raised in a wealthy family and so neither lifestyle fazed him.

But the dress she'd chosen, he didn't know she had such clothing in her closet. He stepped up, grabbing her waist and kissing her.

When he finally allowed her air, she breathed, "No gentleman tonight?"

"Change." That dress would drive him crazy.

..:Xx0o0xX:..

Itachi was used to his girlfriend's apparel. After all, she usually kept to the same type of clothing whenever he saw her. She tended to like shorts and slacks with tank tops and t-shirts. Every now and again she wore a business suit because she had to, but rarely did she. She didn't like to dress up, as he'd learned early on. But these facts didn't make her any less beautiful in his eyes. In fact, he liked her leisurely attire, liked to see her relaxed and at home around him. And it also reminded him that she didn't need to dress up to look her best; she didn't need make up to have an attractive face.

Though at times he wondered what she would look like if she did. Would she look even more beautiful? Or would he find she looked best in her simple clothes.

And he was about to find out.

A few weeks back, he had finally told her that he needed her as a date to go to an event. His family threw this event every year as a way to celebrate the kick off date of the family company. So it was usually the biggest event of the year with no small amount of people attending. All employees and family members would be there and each person was allowed to bring another person or two if they so wished; and most of them tended to.

He had started dating Sakura a few months back, nearly half a year ago and so he hadn't asked anyone before her to come as his date. But he enjoyed her company; it was soothing to his nerves, especially around his demanding family. She didn't demand anything or expect anything from him other than genuine happiness no matter what that meant. And because of it he was more likely to feel it, more so when she was within his view and always when she was in his arms.

Something inside him twisted nervously when he realized he was bringing the bane of existence and the love of his life together. He couldn't help but worry about how well they would fit together, or how explosively they'd fall apart. And how much it would affect his personal life. He didn't want to have to choose, because Itachi knew he'd pick Sakura hands down and her being her, she would refuse to give him that chance even if tears were falling like bullets down her cheeks.

Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes as he stood at her door. He told himself that whatever came, came; and he wouldn't back down because he faced everything – no matter what it was – head on. This was no different and besides, his petite little lover had always been the epitome of understanding. This would work, it had to. Knowing that and keeping it firmly in mind he rung the door bell and took a few steps back.

Normally he would stay where he was, but one incident had taught him that just in case he should wait out of the door's range. That had been a rather painful experience, as well as embarrassing on Sakura's part, that he had absolutely no wish to relive. He still remembered it clearly, but pushed said memory aside as he waited for her voice.

"Coming!" She called from some point, probably the hallway as she hurriedly tugged on her shoes while trying and failing to walk towards the door in an awkward hobble. He didn't even pause at how well he knew her, it didn't bother him even the slightest after all. In fact, he was almost prideful with how well he could pin down what she was doing without him even having to see her. Besides, it just added to his confidence that everything would turn out over all well at the end of the night. And if neither was in too bad of a mood he planned to propose to his girl.

A few moments later the door came open and she stepped. Closing and locking the door behind even as she smiled that pretty smile of hers that she reserved solely for him.

But he was frozen in place and he couldn't help the heat he felt the moment he saw her. He'd told her to dress nice – the first time he had since they started dating – because they would be going to his family-company event. He still didn't know how he'd talked her into it considering it was actually two events back-to-back and she hated such uptight, high-class events. She liked casual and homey. He did as well but he was raised in a wealthy family and so neither lifestyle fazed him.

But the dress she'd chosen, he didn't know she even had such clothing in her closet. He stepped up, grabbing her waist and kissing her.

When he finally allowed her air, she breathed, "No gentleman tonight?"

"Change." That dress would drive him crazy. And as much as he'd love to let the foreplay go, to drive her insane as well throughout the night, tonight was not the night to do so and it was definitely not the event. If any of his family, besides his immediate family who already knew about his intention towards, found out just how much she affected him, it could cause unwanted problems later on.

She gave a husky laugh that sent pleasurable shivers down his spine, "But Itachi, I got this dress specifically for this occasion." She went so far as to bat her eyes at him in a pleading manner.

His throat tightened and he forced himself to keep his eyes on hers, anywhere else wasn't quite safe for her, "Change."

She brought harms up to drape them on his shoulders at the elbows and clasped her hands behind his neck, "I don't have anything else formal to wear."

He tightened his hold her waist, his next words coming out not with the steel he'd intended, but with dark edge that made her shiver in response, "If you don't change, Sakura, we won't even make it an hour into the event."

And Sakura being Sakura, all she did was widen her smile, completely changing it's meaning to almost seductive in the process. "Well, that would indeed be a shame." Her eyes even glittered with that mischievous light and he had to remind himself that he did have to go to this event if he wanted his clan members to be quiet. But right then, logic was a losing battle to fight, no matter how promising and good it sounded.

Pushing her back inside her apartment and pulling that little black dress of her small figure sounded so much better.

In fact, it sounded so good that he reached behind her to unlock the door. Even as he tried to tell himself that it was so she could change, he knew that it wasn't. Knew that he'd have to call Sasuke to tell him something came up and he wouldn't be able to make it this year. Who in their right mind wanted to spend an evening playing with words and being polite and the picture of politics when they could be enjoying their girlfriend anyway?

He heard her gasp as he got the door open with her key that she'd dropped in her purse, her eyes going wide as he pressed forward which cause her to stumble back on those high heels that she was wearing.

"If you don't change Sakura, then we won't be going at all." When he was inside the small home he used his foot to close the door and halted them, wanting to keep pushing her backwards and wondering just how far they would make it before his will gave way to desire.

Itachi wasn't completely certain if it was the words themselves or the tone he used or the look he was sure was painted in his eyes, but she gulped drily. "Are you saying that I get to choose?"

"I would be happy to do so for you." It came out in a whisper as he leaned down to kiss her jaw line.

Again she shivered as she brought her arms down to settle her hands on his shoulders, close enough to play with collar and she did so without hesitation. "I think," She paused to lick her lips and it took all of his will power not to lean down and kiss her while the pink appendage was outside of her mouth, "I think tonight seems like a good night to stay indoors."

At those words he simply stopped fighting his craving for his pretty little girlfriend. And in the process didn't bother to call Sasuke and his family didn't even cross his mind as he herded her to her room even as they left a trail of clothes.


	48. 88 Heat: Cold

**Title:** Moments in Time: A Close Up

**Author:** AppleL0V3R

**Beta-reader:** Terror-Of-The-Crimson-Night

**Fandom:** Naruto

**Pairing:** Uchiha, Itachi and Haruno, Sakura

**Chapter:** Forty-Eight – #88 Heat: Cold

**Rating:** T

**Type:** One-shot – Complete

**Summary:** Prompts from Moments in Time that I was requested to expand on. 48. 88 – Heat: Cold. Sakura decided that the common cold sucked, but it had its perks.

**Word Count:** 2,075

**Disclaimer:** If you've heard of it before, then it's obviously not mine.

**Note:** As the summary states these were skits I was asked to turn into actually works. I will always put which one it was and the skit just before the chapter. They won't be in numerical order because I'm doing them as I'm requested. They won't be any more than one-shots though they may become two to five –shots (I will forewarn when that happens) but they won't become stories unless I choose to.

Also, I realized my geographical error of Sakura's house and fixed it in the expanded version. My apologies for the slight mess-up. Also, some of the description feels not up to snuff or something, like I'm putting in useless words or actions or something. Whatever it is, I hope you guys don't feel the same and I'll try to fix it when I get around to revising and such.

**Request by:** Anime Freak456 and theonesakura.

..:Xx0o0xX:..

88. Heat (Sakura)

She sneezed again, then again. And that was followed by a series of harsh coughs. She groaned at how horrible she felt, there was simply no way she was working today. She couldn't even properly sit up straight.

There was a knock on the door. Really? Now? "Come in!"

The door opened to reveal her boss. Her eyes widened and she instantly felt self-conscious.

His eyes seemed to assess her, "Hello, Haruno."

"Good morning, Sir." She tried to bow, but she only succeeded in making herself dizzy and sicker.

"It seems Sasuke was right. Do you have anyone to take care of you?" She shook her head, confused. "Then I hope you don't mind me."

Maybe her fever was bad enough that she was hallucinating?

..:Xx0o0xX:..

When Sakura woke in the morning, she flipped over on her stomach to reach the alarm clock on the nightstand to shut it off. Groaning slightly at the irritated noise, the young woman tugged herself closer to the edge of the bed so that she could actually sit up. Her hand found the 'off' button and quickly pressed it even as she slowly pushed herself to an almost upright angle. And promptly widened her eyes, she jerked of the bed as she scrambled for her trash can next to the work desk almost across the room.

She proceeded to empty the contents of her stomach as almost shaky hands latched on the waste basket. Only the thought of how thankful she was that it didn't have holes in it and wasn't plastic made it through her groggy mind. The next one was that she wished her stomach would shut up and stop provoking her gag reflex because this was pure torture.

When she was finally done she grabbed the rim of her trash can and dragged it into the conjoining bathroom, she'd rather not have any possible stench stinking up her room before she got a chance to deal with the trash. Right then, all that matter to her was brushing her teeth and getting into a shower. Granted she figured it'd help if her stomach let her stand up straight. But every time she tried, stabs of pain and almost cramps forced her to bend over slightly in attempt to halt the throbbing.

It became such a problem that she had to settle on the toilet for a moment, leaning against the white porcelain part behind her as she wondered how the hell this had happened. How the hell had she caught the common cold? She'd felt fine last night, well, mostly, she didn't feel a little hot but figured that was the house and warm weather.

She huffed and tried to strip her pajamas off her body once more, but getting her arms above her head hurt so much that she wondered if she'd somehow broken her stomach or something. And knew immediately that her chances of even getting out of her apartment just slimed to pretty much nothing. After all, who took a college course on medicine, had a doctor for a godmother, and still wondered if she'd broken a digestive organ?

But that didn't mean she was just going to lie down, there was the possibility that it was her time of the month. She'd never had cramp problems before, but it was certainly possible that combined with a slight case of food poisoning it could end up as this. And in that case, she could simply ask if she could come in an hour late or something. Sasuke would understand she knew, he would know she wasn't bluffing not only because she didn't do stuff like that, but because he had gone to dinner with her the night before. He had seen her reject the food and complain more than once about how it was going to kill her stomach.

She hadn't meant it at the time, she'd been joking, but now… She wished she were still joking.

Finally, she gave up on trying to undress, and started back for her bed where her cell phone was on the bedside stand. Groaning she almost face planted into her covers, but shoved herself to her knees and reached for the communication device. Before she could grab it, she retracted her hand as coughs began to shake her body. After she felt like she'd all but hacked up a hairball, she decided that maybe she shouldn't go into work at all today. So once more she reached for her phone, this time grabbing it and flipping it open. She only needed to dial one number and press talk to call Sasuke.

He answered on the second ring, "This Uchiha, Sasuke."

She smiled, remembering why she didn't call him too much, "Check your caller ID first, why don't you."

She could see him rolling his eyes. "What'd you do to your throat?"

Frowning, she pulled her cell back to look at before returning it to her ear, she hadn't realized she even sounded sick. "That's why I was calling. I don't think I'll be able to make it through the day without throwing up every other five minutes."

He sighed, "Alright, stay in bed, get better. I'll see you either on my lunch break or when I get off."

She laughed softly, but the action caused her to cough more than she would have liked. Settling for a huff, "If it doesn't kill me first, I'll see you later."

His chuckle was audible through the phone, "Sleep, Saks. It's probably the best thing you can do."

"And medicine."

"Sleep would be best."

"Yes, Dr. Sasuke." There was amusement to her tone but she didn't dare laugh because she really didn't want to cough again.

But she could definitely hear the frown through the phone, "Goodbye Sakura."

"Morning, Sasuke."

She heard another huff before a click as he ended the call. Doing her best not to laugh she flipped her phone closed and put it on the table. She then proceeded to get up, deciding that some cold medicine would indeed be a good idea. She found exactly what she wanted with little problem from her stomach and was suddenly thankful she remembered to leave it in the lower shelves of one of her kitchen cabinets. Within moments, she was returning to her bed with a half full glass of water. She set that too on the stand, before she slid under the covers.

Before she could get comfortable she sneezed once, twice and even thrice. And that was followed by a series of harsh coughs. She groaned at how horrible she felt, there was simply no way she was working today. She couldn't even properly sit up straight. Not that she really wanted to, she slumped down in her bed, not quiet laying, but almost.

But getting cozy was not to be as there was a knock on her front door. She grimaced, Really? Now? "Come in!" She tried to get back up, making it outside her bedroom but not much farther than that. More because she was surprised rather than her stomach acting up.

The door – which was in direct view of the hallway – opened to reveal her boss. Her eyes widened and she instantly felt self-conscious, she tried not to immediately transfer her gaze to the floor as she saw him close the door behind him.

Itachi's eyes seemed to assess her even as he moved out of the entry way, "Hello, Haruno."

"Good morning, Sir." She tried to bow, but she only succeeded in making herself dizzy and sicker.

"It seems Sasuke was right. Do you have anyone to take care of you?" She shook her head, confused. Why in the world would he want to know that? "Then I hope you don't mind me."

Maybe her fever was bad enough that she was hallucinating?

She cleared her throat, "Not to be rude or anything, Sir, but…why?"

He tilted his head slightly, approaching with ease. The man acted like he'd been in her home a million times and didn't need to look around to know where everything was. In fact, he seemed so casual it was almost dominate, almost like he owned the place. She normally would have bristled at the thought, but this was Itachi and he didn't even subconsciously assume he owned the world. He was simply very confident and very authoritive, and that gave off the above mentioned vibe.

"Because you are my employee."

She giggled lightly, "Are you saying you would do this for say…Naruto?"

He chuckled in response. "Allow me to correct myself; it is because you are the best medic on the force."

She huffed, "Oh, so I'm being used. I get it."

Most people didn't get to see the playful side of their uptight, blank bosses, especially not when that boss was Uchiha, Itachi. But Sakura knew that she had an advantage because she'd grown up as his little brother's best friend and by extension knew him on a personal level as well. It was just that when they were working, Itachi preferred pure professionalism so as to create a divide between personal and professional. "Perhaps."

He finally came to a halt in front of her.

Sighing, she allowed her head to fall against the wall, but only for a moment. The next she was spinning on her heel and rushing to the restroom so as to empty her stomach once more. This time, it didn't torture her as much, since there wasn't much of anything to throw up so close to the first. Just medicine and water. She fell back on her hunches, becoming suddenly aware that Itachi was right there.

Knew as a child or not, he was still her boss and she still felt more than a little awkward with the fact that he'd just watched her puke her guts out. Not to mention that he'd even reached out to grab her tussled hair so as to keep it out of her face.

She wanted to try to retain some form of dignity, but she felt so horrid right then, the cold definitely beginning to take a hold, she didn't even bother. Unsteadily, she got to her feet, not even protesting as he pushed her to the sink where her toothbrush already had toothpaste on it and there was a small cup with water in it waiting for her. Tiredly she reached for it, before she started the process again in less that twenty minutes she paused. Turning her head she give him a small smile, using it to convey her gratitude. "Thanks, Sir."

In the back of her mind she knew she wouldn't feel the same way when she was better. That she would be horrified and unable to look him in the eye afterwards, and she would probably even be irate, but right then, she was grateful for the second pair of hands. Even if it was from her incredibly handsome boss who'd just volunteered to take care of her.

He simply nodded once, "You are welcome, Sakura."


	49. 95 Circle: Explosion

**Title:** Moments in Time: A Close Up

**Author:** AppleL0V3R

**Beta-reader:** Terror-Of-The-Crimson-Night

**Fandom:** Naruto

**Pairing:** Uchiha, Itachi and Haruno, Sakura

**Chapter:** Forty-Nine – #95 Circle: Explosion

**Rating:** T

**Type:** One-shot – Complete

**Summary:** Prompts from Moments in Time that I was requested to expand on. 49. 95 – Circle: Explosion. Inside Itachi's arms was the safest place she could be, but she didn't want to be safe.

**Word Count:** 3,120

**Disclaimer:** If you've heard of it before, then it's obviously not mine.

**Note:** As the summary states these were skits I was asked to turn into actually works. I will always put which one it was and the skit just before the chapter. They won't be in numerical order because I'm doing them as I'm requested. They won't be any more than one-shots though they may become two to five –shots (I will forewarn when that happens) but they won't become stories unless I choose to.

Is it just me, or does this feel like it's right out of the middle of a story and there should be more background and more to come?

**Request by:** Anime Freak456 and theonesakura.

..:Xx0o0xX:..

95. Circle (Itachi)

Itachi tightened his arms around her; he hadn't realized just how hard it would be to keep her still.

"Sakura."

She struggled harder, "Let me go!"

He shook his head, "I can't do that, Sakura."

"And why the hell not!"

Her screaming wasn't helping the headache he was getting from the smell of the smoke.

"Because you'll only get hurt."

She twisted to him for a moment, her green eyes bright with fury and urgency and pain, "I don't care. My parents could be dying, Itachi."

They already were, he knew. He tightened his grip again, forcing himself to keep a neutral face and tone. "You aren't going in there."

The fire seemed to burp as it expanded outwards in a blaze. The second explosion.

..:Xx0o0xX:..

They say to never walk away from someone angry, to never go to sleep furious. Not if it can be helped. Sakura believed this, learned the hard way just how much it hurt if something happened to the person she was angry with and she never got a chance to apologize for anything mean or harsh that she had done. She hated to not be able to make amends or make things better. She hated the clenching feeling she got every time she realized she couldn't say 'sorry, let me make it up to you'.

But thankfully, she never had to deal with it very often and it was never anyone very close.

Not till now at least.

She loved her parents with all her heart but sometimes, she wished they'd shut up and back off because she wasn't a kid anymore. She didn't need them telling her that she couldn't marry the guy she loved with everything in her, that she never ever wanted to have to part from him. But they simply hadn't understood that, they had thought that Itachi wouldn't be any good for her because of his position and family.

Itachi himself was a very important official; in fact, he was the Minister of Japan. Couldn't get any more important than that. And he hailed from the Uchiha family, which was known for making up a significant portion of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department.

Her parents had been against her even dating him because they felt she would be neglected and in a form, abused should the very powerful man decide to take his stress out on her, accidental or not. At least, that was her father's worry. Her mother being how she was, sided with Sakura's father without so much as a first thought, let alone a second one. Which had left the rosette outnumbered two to one and feeling very hurt and cornered. She hadn't been able to understand how they could do that, how they could think that of her handsome boyfriends. With big eyes she'd told them to at least try meeting him, that he'd proposed and she'd accepted and she wanted them to as well.

Frowning, her father had shaken his head, trying once more to get her to see things his way. It had become an ongoing argument, one that neither side would back down from and was certain to cause problems. But the three had managed around it, managed to still do family things and express their love. Itachi was simply a subject she was forced to dance around or risk a headache and an argument, all because she was happy being his girlfriend.

In her opinion, there was no one better for her. He was sweet but realistic, comforting but firm. Itachi was always exactly what she needed, when she needed it. And most of all, he was one of the few who could always calm her down whenever her temper had sky rocketed. True, the guy could be a stick in the mud and he was always working, but he knew how to play as well. He was her perfect someone and she couldn't figure out how to get her parents to see that.

And then Itachi had proposed.

She'd wasted no time in accepting, not even hesitating as she tackled him from his position down on one knee. The day had been absolutely perfect, until she'd come to visit her parents later that evening to tell them the news.

Sakura hadn't bothered to even knock on the door of the home she grew up in, letting herself in with spare key. Her parents were in the living room, and her entrance had gotten wide smiles out of the both of them, "My Angel has returned again." Her mother had joked, acting as if the room was being engulfed in white light.

The rosette had laughed at her mother's dramatics, "Hello to you too, 'ama." Ever since she was young she'd never called the older woman anything but a shortened version, of mama with a Spanish accent to it. She didn't really know where she picked it up but she figured it was probably in the same place she'd picked up what she called her father, "And hello Papi."

The man smiled back, standing to give his young daughter a hug. "So what brings you to us today, kiddo?"

She took a deep breath and took a step back. It was now or never and she hoped to no end that they'd at least try to look happy for her. Lifting up her hand she showed them the ring, it was simple and golden with a silver design. Itachi's was identical but where hers was gold, his was sliver and where his was gold, hers was silver. It had been for the symbolism of yin and yang and all. She absolutely adored being able to glance at her hand and know her lover was wearing the same one.

A gasp come from her mother, arms quickly encircling her slightly broader frame, "Oh my god, Sakura. You're engaged."

She smiled as prettily as she could, "I know. It's so overwhelming." She was careful to pick her words, "I can't believe I'm actually getting married."

But her father wasn't smiling. "You mean you can't believe your getting married to that Uchiha."

She sighed, because just like that the entire atmosphere took an abrupt nose dive. "Papi." She started only to be cut off by her mother.

"Sakura, I thought we talked about this."

"You aren't marrying him, in fact I told you to break up with him."

Taking another breath to remind herself of those control exercises Itachi had taught her, she shifted on her feet a little. She wasn't going to back down, she wasn't going to meekly agree. "Why are you so against him?"

Both parents were side by side once more as they stood a few feet in front of their daughter. Her mother was the first to speak up, "Honey, we know that you love him. And I'm happy you have somebody to love, but how many stories have you heard, how many news articles have you read about an important official turning on his wife not even a year after a 'perfect' wedding."

She pursed pink lips, "Love gone wrong happens all the time. But there is absolutely _nothing_ abusive about my relationship with Itachi. And I never said he was perfect, if that's what you're worried about."

"Oh?" She almost groaned, of course her father would pounce on that. "Then how is he imperfect?"

But that didn't mean she'd tuck tail and run, "His job is a bit demanding of him, but he always has time for me. He's very formal, but that's only because he was raised to be. But you know what I've never seen, never been gotten the brunt of? He's never been condescending, he doesn't always understand, sure, but he tries. He's never been neglectful, even if he has to spend hours on the phone listening to me talk he'll do it. He's never tried to change me, not once, he's teased and poked, but not forceful, he loves me for me." She paused to take a breath. "But you know what I don't get? He comes from a well off and prestigious family, so I can't help but wonder, how come it's you guys who are having trouble accepting him and not me having troubles being accepted into his family?"

That said she took a step back, feeling the tears sting her eyes. She hated fighting about this. She loved them both, so why couldn't they accept Itachi? Was it really so much to ask? Sakura didn't pause to see her parents' expressions, or stop as she fled back out the door she'd entered through not minutes before.

Quickly, she hurried to her car, pulling her phone out and already pulling it to her ear as she pressed 'one' and 'talk.'

He answered on the second ring, "Sakura? Is something wrong?"

She sniffed, too focused on the road to see the person walking away from her, just slightly in the neighbor's lawn. "Not really. Do you have a minute?"

"Of course." Not for the first time, she was thankful that the most important person in her life was so understanding.

She didn't even look back at the house as she started the engine and drove.

Now that she was examining that day, she really truly wished she had. Because maybe, just maybe, she would have seen the little boxes carefully but not completely hidden by the grass and flowers as they encircled her home.

But she hadn't, and the very next day, she was paying for it.

..:Xx0o0xX:..

Itachi had managed with surprisingly little difficulty to get her to agree to go back the next morning. He knew how much family mattered to her and refused to let her have a rift in hers because of their relationship. What had sold her on it though, was him agreeing to go with her, to show her parents just how well they worked together.

At that offer she'd brightened and nodded, finally getting out of bed to get ready for the day, his chuckle followed her into the restroom. She'd paused in the doorway, leaning back out to stick her tongue out him before permanently disappearing behind the door to start her shower.

Not long after he'd gotten her into the car, though she'd started protesting again, and hadn't quite even a moment the entire rid. He hadn't bothered to try to quiet the younger woman because he knew she would do that all on her own when she ran out of absurd worries to voice. That's how he'd gotten her to agree to dating him in the first place, letting her name all the possible problems and shooting them down one by one.

After all, Sakura was nothing if not stubborn. And he admired and treasured that about his fiery little lover, more than happy to push it when the chance arose. But what loved most were her passionate responses, her temper was something to be reckoned with and she was always willing to play with him whether he was or not. Not to mention how easy it was to make her blush ten different shades of red and still get a whole hearted kiss out of her.

So it wasn't out of his range of understanding to know that her parents weren't one hundred percent on board with the idea of their daughter marrying him. They simply wanted what was best for her, wanted to protect her. All he needed to was show them that he empathized but he would be more than just a good husband for her, that he would do anything for her and she was not in any kind of harm, be it neglect or otherwise, simply because of his family or profession. And considering he meant it, he didn't think it would be too hard a task. Granted, one of Sakura's protests was that her father was where she got her stubborn disposition from. So perhaps it might take a little work.

He was brought from his stupor when, suddenly, his still protesting fiancé silenced herself. Frowning, he turned to her only to see her jaw slack and eyes wide in horror as they reflected dancing fire with smoke. Immediately he jerked his head back to the road only to see what had stopped her cold, her entire home was up in flames, dark clouds of smoke raising from it in plumes. Quickly, he yanked the car to the side of the road, easily and efficiently parking it.

But the moment it was going slow enough, the rosette had her door open and was jumping out of the still moving vehicle.

Cursing under his breath, Itachi hurried to stop the car, killing the ignition without removing the keys and shoved his own door open. He was up and out of it in moments, darting after her in an attempt to get to her before she got to the property. Thankfully, he got to her just before she got to the front yard, wrapping his arms around her tightly and successfully pulling them to a complete stop, only to back up a few feet.

But that didn't mean she stilled. In fact, she fought even harder, wiggling and struggling to get out of his hold. He was used to struggling captives though, and had managed to turn her from the scene, hoping that it would calm her just the slightest if she didn't have to see it. But it didn't, it just made it worse. Bad enough that he let her push herself back to the image of a burning home. It broke him to see her so desperate, so panicked, and he hoped against hope that her parents were not inside.

Itachi tightened his arms around her; he hadn't realized just how hard it would be to keep her still.

"Sakura." He tried for a calm, level tone, exuding it the best he could. Anything to settle her.

She struggled harder, "Let me go!"

He shook his head, "I can't do that, Sakura."

"And why the hell not!"

Her screaming wasn't helping the headache he was getting from the smell of the smoke.

"Because you'll only get hurt."

She twisted to him for a moment, her green eyes bright with fury and urgency and pain, "I don't care. My parents could be dying, Itachi."

If they were inside, then they already were, he knew. He tightened his grip again, forcing himself to keep a neutral face and tone. "You aren't going in there."

The fire seemed to burp as it expanded outwards in a blaze. The second explosion.

It dragged a half choked scream from her, and was hot enough to send him stumbling backwards, doing all he could to simply let his body fall rather than let go of her. Despite all the heat, he felt small water droplets hit his arm and he knew without having to look that Sakura was crying. Again his chest clenched with heartache, again he refused to let go. It was hard enough to see her heart, he wouldn't let her need to do something be the end of her.

"Sakura, listen to me."

She shook her head wildly, pink hair going everywhere.

But he wouldn't give up. "Look at me."

"Itachi, please."

He closed his eyes to the completely broken and helpless tone her whispered voice had taken.

"No."

She yanked herself around in the circle of his arms so that she was facing him, settled on his lap with her knees on either side of his hips. Her eyes had mostly taken to the pain and it hurt so much to look into them, know that there wasn't really anything he could do to soothe them. Not with the chances.

He squeezed her, tight and doing his best to show her he was there for her and that he wasn't going anywhere. "Sakura, there is a chance they aren't inside."

That froze her solid. And for a moment she did nothing, not moving a muscle, but then the corner of her mouth twitched and she slowly reached up with her hands, grasping fistfuls of his shirt when they were near his shoulders. The tears get falling, and she hiccupped as she tried to breath through them. "Really?"

False hope was the last thing he wanted to give her right then, but he needed to pull her back before they both passed out or even died from smoke inhalation, so he nodded. "I don't know how slim or how big, but there is the possibility."

Her head fell against his chest and immediately her tears began to soak his shirt, he held her as tightly to him as he could, rocking her just slightly as he did so. All the while he hoped and prayed that her parents truly had not been in there. And knowing in the back of his mind that something like that didn't just happen because of a kitchen fire, it had been planned and the second explosion had proven that.

If her parents were in there, it meant that someone was guilty of arson and two accounts of first degree murder. If not, then that someone was guilty of arson and attempted murder. Either way, whoever did it, he would make sure was caught, tried and imprisoned.

But right then, he would focus on her, because she needed him now more than ever. And as he'd promised just the day before last, he would always be there for her no matter what.


	50. 97 Pregnant: Expecting

**Title:** Moments in Time: A Close Up

**Author:** AppleL0V3R

**Beta-reader:** Terror-Of-The-Crimson-Night

**Fandom:** Naruto

**Pairing:** Uchiha, Itachi and Haruno, Sakura

**Chapter:** Fifty – #97 Pregnant: Expecting

**Rating:** T

**Type:** One-shot – Complete

**Summary:** Prompts from Moments in Time that I was requested to expand on. 50. 97 – Pregnant: Expecting. It was really no surprise that Itachi knew before even Sakura herself did.

**Word Count:** 1,770

**Disclaimer:** If you've heard of it before, then it's obviously not mine.

**Note:** As the summary states these were skits I was asked to turn into actually works. I will always put which one it was and the skit just before the chapter. They won't be in numerical order because I'm doing them as I'm requested. They won't be any more than one-shots though they may become two to five –shots (I will forewarn when that happens) but they won't become stories unless I choose to.

Originally I was going to go farther, but I've decided that this will also have a second part to it. Not immediately, but I find that I really want to do at least a skit of when Sakura is in her last trimester of pregnancy. I think it would be highly amusing, but that might just be me.

**Request by:** Anime Freak456, theonesakura and mUmaRhz.

..:Xx0o0xX:..

97. Pregnant (Itachi)

One second she was smiling and the next her eyes had gone wide as she tore herself from his grasp and made a dash for the toilet. He blinked out pure surprise but was at her side in moments, pulling her long pink hair out of the way.

"I thought you said it was only yesterday."

She groaned, falling back on her hunches, "I thought it was only yesterday."

He stayed quite, thinking about all the abnormalities that had been happening lately with her. She'd been getting morning sickness but didn't feel in the least bit nauseous or sick, didn't want to eat her favorite foods but was craving spicy ones.

Could it be?

"Is something wrong, Itachi?"

He watched her intently, "Sakura…are you pregnant?"

..:Xx0o0xX:..

The first time she threw up, it was nearly three in the morning and Itachi couldn't help but think that her stomach had horrible timing. But he was up and out of bed, quickly making his way to his pretty little wife's side. Tugging back the hair that her shaking hands were having a hard time keeping in place, he reached out with his free hand to start making circle patterns on her back. She hummed to let him know she knew he was there and very much appreciated his support.

He merely kept intent eyes on the back of her head, refusing to budge until she finally feel back on her hunches with a tired, irritated look. One pale hand extended to flush the toilet, so that her regurgitated stomach contents were taken from their sight.

Sighing, she let her hand drop back to her side. After moment of enjoying the feel of him still rubbing her back slightly, she grasped his hand that had yet to let go of her pretty hair. "Well, that sucked. Now my mouth tastes funny."

It seemed grouchy was her default when she was in a situation of any kind that she simply didn't want to be in.

"Hn." Finally halting his ministrations, he circled his hand around her side and onto her belly without ever losing contact. He then proceeded to pull her to her feet as he climbed to his own. She didn't protest or fight him, not that he expected her to, but she didn't exactly make it easy either.

"Are you alright?"

She turned to him and for a moment just blinked before smiling, "Once I brush my teeth, then I will be. I think it was food poisoning or something. So it won't be a problem anymore."

He watched her for a moment before nodding and let her step out of his grasp so that she could set to the task of cleaning her mouth. Itachi thought about turning and going back to bed but decided to stay beside her in case she did end up throwing up again. When she was done she put everything back the way she found it and with a bright smile at him padded out of the bathroom.

Immediately he was on her heels, satisfied that his spouse was indeed fine once more, and more than happy to return to sleep. He slid in first, when he was situated she came in after, from her side of the bed, finding a complementary position almost the second their skin touched. With a soft contented sigh she curled against him, her head nestled on his chest and hand on his abdomen, their legs tangled.

With a slight smile of his own, he pressed a chaste kiss on the crown of her head and pulled her more completely against himself before closing his eyes.

..:Xx0o0xX:..

The next time it happened, it was and wasn't morning. It was very late in the evening, so late that by all technicality it was indeed morning hours. But that didn't mean it took him by any less surprise. Especially not when one second she was smiling and the next her eyes had gone wide as she tore herself from his grasp and made a dash for the toilet. He blinked out pure surprise but was at her side in moments, pulling her long pink hair out of the way for the second time in as many days.

"I thought you said it was only yesterday."

She groaned, falling back on her hunches, "I thought it was only yesterday."

He stayed quite, thinking about all the abnormalities that had been happening lately with her. She'd been getting morning sickness but didn't feel in the least bit nauseous or sick, she didn't want to eat her favorite foods but was craving spicy ones.

Could it be?

"Is something wrong, Itachi?"

He watched her intently, "Sakura…are you pregnant?"

She blinked up at him in shock, "Why would you ask that?"

Without warning, he let his body fall to the floor, settling beside hers as he pinned her with that same intense look. Then he proceeded to explain what he'd just been thinking, all the little things that were said to be common in pregnancy. When he was done she tilted her head and nodded, giving him a bright smile. He knew instinctively that it meant she was taking his word for it, after all, when had his speculation ever been wrong?

That and he couldn't imagine her being upset over the possibility of motherhood. Sakura wasn't that type of woman, she loved kids and adored her family and he knew she would make a great mother, almost as if she'd been built for it from the start. How she'd ended up with someone as cold and calculating as him though, was a completely different story.

Her easygoing laugh brought him out of his stupor, "I guess I should get an official test then, shouldn't I?"

He nodded once, "That would be the best course of action."

A grin lit her face and she held her hand out to him, "In the mean time, bed sounds so good right now."

It was his turn to utter a sound of amusement, though his was more of a chuckle than a laugh, "Pregnant or not, it doesn't give you rights to sleep the day away, especially when your not even showing yet."

She hummed with laughter as she stood and brushed off her clothes, stepping over him to get to the sink. She proceeded to brush her teeth and rinse her mouth while he took the time to stand and head back into the bedroom. When she joined him minutes later, he could feel the shift in her mood and paused in the task of picking out that day's clothes. He wasted no time in turning completely to her and waited to hear what was on her mind now.

She didn't disappoint, "Itachi." The pink haired woman paused, then let her body lean against the door frame as green eyes looked directly into his own, "If I am pregnant," This time he knew her pause was because she was looking for the proper words to speak, "would you, how would you feel?"

He blinked and frowned, deciding right then that if she really was pregnant, then the first task would be getting through said pregnancy unscathed. Hormones weren't supposed to kick in until later, right? Or was she just being her usual self, making sure that everyone before her was happy? Whatever it was, he would do like he always did. "Parenthood is something I would very much like to go through with you, Sakura."

Almost as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders, she instantly brightened at the assurance and a soft smile tugged at her lips. Letting go of the door frame, she made a beeline for him and he stayed exactly where he was, not budging until she stopped before him. Smile still on her face, she reached with both arms, wrapping them around his neck and settling her palms against the back of said body part. The moment they were in place he leaned down and kissed her even as he wound his own arms around her smaller body.

If he was right, which he usually was, he wondered how different it would be to hold her when she was in her final months, when it was clear that she had his child in her womb. He pushed that aside for the moment, knowing that he'd find out sooner or later anyway. Because he'd already known even before he proposed that he had ever intention of turning their two person family into three. And maybe four or five thereafter, but that wouldn't be for a while yet.

For now, he focused on kissing his wife stupid, just to pull back to watch the glazed look in her eye before it cleared and the world came back into place. He'd always loved seeing that look on her face, and it was warming to know he could always put it there.

"I love you, Itachi." She murmured quietly, even before the haze in her big green eyes had fully faded.

He hummed and guided her back to the bed, "I love you, too, my wife." She went without protest, her eyes already slipping to half shut even before the backs of her calves meet their bed.


	51. 94 Short: Choice

**Title:** Moments in Time: A Close Up

**Author:** AppleL0V3R

**Beta-reader:** Terror-Of-The-Crimson-Night

**Fandom:** Naruto

**Pairing:** Uchiha, Itachi and Haruno, Sakura

**Chapter:** Fifty-One – #94 Short: Choice

**Rating:** T

**Type:** One-shot – Complete

**Summary:** Prompts from Moments in Time that I was requested to expand on. 51. 94 – Short: Choice. She was never wearing short shorts and a tank top to bed again.

**Word Count:** 3,100

**Disclaimer:** If you've heard of it before, then it's obviously not mine.

**Note:** As the summary states these were skits I was asked to turn into actually works. I will always put which one it was and the skit just before the chapter. They won't be in numerical order because I'm doing them as I'm requested. They won't be any more than one-shots though they may become two to five –shots (I will forewarn when that happens) but they won't become stories unless I choose to.

To be honest, after I'd written the first part I'd thought about redoing it because I didn't like it, and I still don't but I like the way it is and the situation that happens in it so I'm going to leave it alone for now.

This is more or less a continuation of 46: Life. I am doing a bit of recapping and filling the space between in this chapter, so if you don't want to go back and reread you don't have to, but if you feel it necessary then be my guest. But I will put right here (in case it is not obvious), that the gap that is missing between the end of 46 Life and the beginning of this is that Sakura eventually returns to Konoha and resumes her life. And this here is Itachi, butting into her life again.

**Request by:** Anime Freak456 and Akatsuki Sakura Uchiha

..:Xx0o0xX:..

94. Short (Sakura)

She was never wearing short shorts and a tank top to bed again.

She huffed as the wind blew harshly against her, moving her shirt and shorts while she was forced to stay docile in his arms.

Somehow – for some reason – Uchiha, Itachi had snuck into her room and kidnapped her in the middle of the night. And now they were already outside of Konoha's boards, heading towards Kiri. And damn was she cold. Not only was she wearing little clothing – while being held by a criminal! – but the slight wind was strong because of the speed he was traveling at.

She couldn't do anything because of the chakra suppressers and chakra string binding her.

What a fine mess she'd gotten herself into this time.

..:Xx0o0xX:..

Sakura hummed lightly to herself as she exited the bathroom, leaving steam to swirl slightly as she did so. Still tending to her wet hair with one of her favorite pink towels, she padded easily into her bedroom that was conjoined with bathroom and made a direct beeline for her closet. Once she was positioned in front of her selection of clothes she let the now damp towel fall to the floor as she picked out a simple top and shorts to get dressed in. She pulled both pieces of cloth over her no longer naked body then stooped down to pick up the discarded towel only to toss it in her hamper along with the clothes she'd worn that day.

Rolling her shoulders slight, to get the tension out of them, she turned for her window. Konoha had an almost always warm climate even through the winter months, and though it didn't get as hot as Suna, the summer months were still warm enough that she liked to leave her window open to let the slightly chilly night air in. She was glad her body didn't ache too much as the day had been pretty mellow compared to some of her more busy days.

That didn't mean she wouldn't be prepared to get up on a moments notice, her boys were expected back any day now and it seemed time had only made all four even more allergic to a hospital bed or the place in general. And since they were pretty much family, she knew they would rather barge into her room at some inane hour, blooding right onto her hardwood floors – put it specifically because of this – and wake her so that she could tend to them. It was what they did, and it was also why she made a habit of pulling her hair back and dressing in short shorts and tank top when going to bed.

She had her light turned off and was in bed in moments, getting comfortable and easily dozing off not long after.

Only to be woken mere hours later as she suddenly found herself freezing cold and moving. Green eyes shot open and she tried to look around, tried to figure out why the hell it felt like arms were keeping her fastened to a wall and why the chilly wind of night was hitting her so quickly and with so much force. For all her trying, she only managed to wiggle, but that was more than enough to realize a few things and come to a few conclusions.

The first and foremost of them all was that she was never wearing short shorts and a tank top to bed again.

She huffed as the wind blew harshly against her, moving her shirt and shorts while she was forced to stay docile in his arms.

Somehow – for some reason – Uchiha, Itachi had snuck into her room and kidnapped her in the middle of the night. And now they were already outside of Konoha's boarders, heading towards Kiri. And damn was she cold. Not only was she wearing little clothing – while being held by a criminal! – but the slight wind was strong because of the speed he was traveling at.

And she couldn't do anything because of the chakra suppressers and chakra string binding her.

What a fine mess she'd gotten herself into this time. Though, in her defense, it wasn't exactly her fault, just her luck's fault.

It occurred to her that she should fight, or at least try to, but what good would that do her? It was more than likely to get her injured, which left her around one of the most dangerous shinobi of her time, stranded way outside of Konoha's boarders, and it was in the cold and dark, neither of which she was even dressed properly for, let alone running though woodlands and meadows.

So logically, the best idea was to stay put, shut up and wait for a better opportunity to get free. Preferably one that didn't include her running around in short shorts and a tank top in the freezing cold without even so much as slippers.

Too bad that she would never get that chance.

Just as they got near the boarder of Kiri, her capture took a sharp right, continuing only an hour or so further before he stopped in the middle of nowhere and simply dropped her. He didn't set her down or anything, just let her fall on her ass at the base of some large tree. It took her by such surprise that it was all she could not to jump back to her feet even as a gasp escaped her. What caught her attention was that it came out white, her breath visible and the pessimistic side of her immediately wondered if she was going to freeze to death before she could even try to look for a way out of this mess.

Pushing past those thoughts, she tilted her head back at the realization that he was still there, still standing over her. "What do you want from me?" So much for shutting up. She never had been all that good at self preservation, though.

His face didn't change, blank and cold like the very early morning around them, and he didn't bother to answer her question, "Stay put."

And like that, he was gone in a rustle of leaves, leaving her confused and bewildered. Did he really, honestly, think that just because he told her to that she wouldn't try to escape? Horrible conditions or not, there was simply no way she was 'staying put'. She shifted, trying to get her feet under her. The operative word there being 'trying'. Sakura really was stuck, not because she'd been told, but because he'd bound her in a way that it made even trying to balance on her feet next to impossible and she knew without bothering that she'd run into a similar problem with her hands. And there was no way she was going to crawl, that just wasn't practical.

Huffing again, she settled herself as comfortably as she could with the almost mortifying realization that she was stuck in the middle of nowhere, unable to do anything and with the very real possibility of either freezing to death or being used in some way that could be considered treasonous if she even thought to go along with.

What a fine mess indeed.

..:Xx0o0xX:..

She figured she wouldn't be stuck in such a position long, but as hours passed and dawn drew nearer she wondered belatedly if he'd gotten caught up or had simply forgotten her. Neither seemed all that likely, so was it possible that she wasn't waiting for him to come back, but for someone else to pick her up.

The thought froze her; after all, Uchiha was bad news but being handed off like this to someone else? Not only would she not know what she was up against, but she was so vulnerable that she wondered if she'd make it through. Besides, why would the Uchiha go through all the trouble to kidnap her just to let someone else get their hands on her? Did that mean that whoever might want her for any reason at all couldn't get her themselves? And if so, what did that mean for her, what kind of situation did that put her in?

She suddenly found herself not want those answers, to sit tight and wait it out, praying – as odd as it was – that the Uchiha was the one to come back for her. Sakura would rather the devil she knew over the one she didn't.

And it would be just her luck that an hour after she'd begun to panic about what came next, her kidnapper returned. He stooped down into a crouch so that they were at eye level and she tried her best to look him straight in the eye. She would not back down, she would not be scared, and so she clung to her fury of the hellish circumstances he'd thrown her in.

After a moment he offered up an apple and a water bottle. At first she was stunned; she'd never thought a criminal, especially one as infamously cruel as Uchiha, would get her food and water. That's when the suspicion kicked in, was it possible that he'd drugged either one? He wouldn't have poisoned them, that would make all his work of getting her out of the village alive and secure for not and he didn't seem the type to do such backwards things.

He seemed to have caught on to her hesitance for he dropped the apple in her lap before moving to unscrew the cap. Itachi took a drink, to show her that there was nothing wrong with it, and then offered it once more.

She eyed it a moment longer before shifting to show him her still bound hands, as if to say that she couldn't exactly grab the bottled water. But his crimson eyes didn't even so much as glance at her trussed hands, instead he extended his hand a little further. She realized belatedly that he intended to feed it to her, but before she could even react to that knowledge it was already at her lips as he tipped it. Blinking, she tried to stay focused on the man before her even as she gulped down the water as it was provided. The cold substance tasted almost like spring water and she wondered if part of the reason he'd taken so long was to make sure the water wasn't infected.

Sooner than the supply of water was gone, he'd pulled back, recapping it before picking up the apple. Knowing he intended to repeat the process she pulled back a little, "Wouldn't it be easier to put my hands in front? Let me feed myself?"

This time he did pause, and she wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing. "No." And he closed the distance, stopping when he knew it was right next to her lips.

Trying not to huff she leaned forward and took a bite, careful to chew completely and still keep her gaze locked on him. And so the process went, she would take a bite and he would turn the apple to wait for her to take another, when she did he turned it again until the fruit was nothing more than a core. A bit of juice had slipped out the corner of her lip but she wasn't going to even attempt wiping it off on her shoulder, not with him still there and watching her with nonchalant eyes.

"Are you going to tell me why you kidnapped me?"

He titled his head, seeming to actually consider her question this time around. She hoped dearly that he didn't decide to just leave her here again. She was pretty sure she'd throw caution to the wind along with self-preservation if he even tried.

Her body went rigid as she registered that he was reaching for her again, this time with empty hands. "No." Almost weightlessly, his hand ghosted across the underside of her bottom lip, wiping away the trail the juice had made on her skin.

She stayed like that for a long moment, frozen and disbelieving. Had he seriously just done that? Did Uchiha, Itachi just wipe away some liquid from her chin like they were friends or something? Considering the fact that the liquid was gone, yes he had. But that didn't not mean that it was sinking in, it was more like being rejected. The medic was able to shake the feeling slightly when he was once more touching her, this time to pick her up.

Normally, such a position was comfortable, but with her hands bound and dangling and her unable to adjust her shorts it wasn't, and having his arms under her knees and neck wasn't helping. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she acknowledged how ironic this entire situation was. After all, the last time she'd met him he was dying in a cave and she'd nursed him back to full health. And he had not been the least bit thankful, but he had allowed her to return to her every day life.

And now he was doing this to her.

No wonder he and Sasuke didn't get along. Well, that was a bit harsh, but still, just because he acted gentlemanly did not excuse half of what he'd done to her personally. But now was not the time to be thinking about that.

"Then can I guess why?" The way she saw it, this piece of information was important. If she knew why he was in her life again, doing this to her, then she would be able to make a better constructed plan of escape.

His gaze flicked down to her, catching her own for split second, before returning to the road ahead of him, "If you get too noisy, Kunoichi, I will gag you."

Whatever she'd been about to say died on her lips at the mention of being gagged. And that mention kept her mouth shut for at least a good ten to twenty minutes before she remembered the first part of that statement. "What counts as 'too noisy'?"

He didn't even bother to glance at her this time around.

She huffed not for the first time while in his grasp, trying not to wiggle. "Okay…is it to use me as bait?"

No response.

She waited for a few moments before realization struck her once more, "Oh, I get it. I can guess, but you're not going to answer."

Her observation was met with silence.

Hard pressed not to sigh, she turned her head from the wind – which was back to frigid and harsh because of his pace – and buried it into the fabric of his cloak. Her thoughts from early about their first encounter surfaced, this time she picked something else out of it. Jerk her head back she fixed her green eyes on his own crimson ones, "I didn't realize that I was still at your fingertips." After all, the guy had let her go, let her return to her home so it seemed logical to conclude that he was done with her. Right? Clearly, no it was not, that or he wasn't logical. Which seemed more likely than the former choice.

When he glanced down again, it was to lock eyes with her as a smirk curled the corners of his lips slightly, "I thought I made it clear the first time, you are mine to use as I so please. Always."

She scowled back at him, "Oh? So letting me go back to Konoha was what? A false sense of security measure?"

"You were not needed between then and now."

"And now I'm needed." Her tone had taken on an almost mocking lilt.

It stopped him cold. Land on a branch, he set her back on her feet, his eyes narrowed. "This time, Sakura, you're completely my mercy. You hold nothing over me."

Was that supposed to be a warning? Her grin was more cheek than any common sense should have permitted, "You said I wasn't needed, but since you've kidnapped me, I assume I'm needed. Which means, yes I do. It may not be your life, but I wonder which of us is more stubborn." The black tomoe of his Sharingan spun wildly, foretelling his agitation. But she wasn't done, "I don't have to do anything you say."

And again, she'd sealed her fate. Though this time, she figured she was being more active about it, willingly and knowingly egging him on. But that didn't change facts.

He leaned down until his breath fanned hot over her ear and she could feel his soft lips graze her earlobe, "Then you will stay with me until you do."


	52. 99 January: One

**Title:** Moments in Time: A Close Up

**Author:** AppleL0V3R

**Beta-reader:** Terror-Of-The-Crimson-Night

**Fandom:** Naruto

**Pairing:** Uchiha, Itachi and Haruno, Sakura

**Chapter:** Fifty-Two – #99 January: One

**Rating:** T

**Type:** One-shot – Complete

**Summary:** Prompts from Moments in Time that I was requested to expand on. 52. 99 – January: One. It's the first month of the year and the start of them.

**Word Count:** 2,145

**Disclaimer:** If you've heard of it before, then it's obviously not mine.

**Note:** As the summary states these were skits I was asked to turn into actually works. I will always put which one it was and the skit just before the chapter. They won't be in numerical order because I'm doing them as I'm requested. They won't be any more than one-shots though they may become two to five –shots (I will forewarn when that happens) but they won't become stories unless I choose to.

So, for those of you who are keeping up with my Moments in Time series should know that January is one twelve connected one-shots. Which means of course, that there are going to be eleven sequels, but I will not write them all in one go, they will be as spread out of my normal same-verse sequels (i.e. Chapter 5: Family and Chapter 10: Pride, Chapter 27: Hide and Chapter 32: Baby, Chapter 35: Life and Chapter 51: Short) The sequel to this one will be Chapter 57: 119 February: Two.)

For those of you who have read a different story of mine (Intelligently Ignorant) that is also ItaSaku, I'm sure you recognize the OCs' names. I have decided that I like them as Sakura's parental names and I also like their personalities. So if you read more of ItaSaku from me or Sakura anyone in general you can probably expect to see them again.

And I deviated from my skit slightly, just the last line of it but it still ended up with the same result.

**Request by:** Anime Freak456 and theonesakura

..:Xx0o0xX:..

99. January (Itachi)

The first month of the year.

Itachi's five years old with a not even year old brother. He loves the little boy and he's vowed to always protect and help him. But it's not Sasuke he's holding right now. Right now he's holding a baby that isn't a year old either, not to mention it's a baby girl. Her name's Haruno, Sakura and her father used to be his mother's teammate. So for the first time since her birth, he's holding her because his brother is sleeping, their parents are busy and she wouldn't stop crying.

He looked down at her and she looked up with green eyes. She'd quieted the moment he picked her up and now she watched him with wonder and delight.

..:Xx0o0xX:..

"Come on, Itachi." His mother called over her shoulder, her soft voice carrying, as she kept walking. The young boy had paused, intrigued just enough to want a longer look at the book on the window shelf, new years things were still in stores and since it was only his third year in memory of having scene them, he still liked to stop and look. But at his mother's beckoning he turned and moved quickly until he was once more on her heels.

She gave him a soft smile, one that most didn't get. Just him, because he was his mother's son. Though, he was no longer an only child and she had more than once given that same smile to his infantile brother, he was still content the moment he'd earned it. After all, he was pretty sure that such a thing was something to treasure, that was a lesson he hadn't needed his father to teach him. He could see that well enough on his own.

It didn't take long for either to reach the compound and even less time to get the main house. Though he found himself slightly surprised when he entered the kitchen area, bags in his small arms and on his mother's heels. In front of him was his father, Baby Sasuke in his grasp and two other people who also had a baby, but this one a girl.

Mikoto smiled at the three adult, setting her own bags on the counter before heading to her husband's side. Itachi resisted the urge to blink or ask anything as he gave a respectful nod to the couple and proceeded to place his mother's grocers next to where she'd placed her handful. Then he too padded to be beside his parents. Fully expecting Fugaku to hand Sasuke down to him as he did so, but his mother merely ruffled his hair, using the contact to push him forward.

Still not blinking or even showing his off balanced feelings, he did as expected, stepping forward a few steps past her hand and stopping a few feet from the unidentified man and wife. "Hello, my name is Itachi. Pleased to meet you."

The woman smiled, and he wondered if it was a motherly smile because it was almost identical to his own matriarch's. She nodded back, her green eyes warm, but her hands were more occupied with the small infant in her arms. Instead it was the man who reached his hand out, "I'm Haruno, Kano and this is my wife Koko."

He glanced from the man's face to the woman before back again, grasping the outstretched hand without hesitation as he nodded his acknowledgement. Once he was satisfied and could pull his hand back, he returned to his mother's side.

The woman, Koko, was still smiling at him, though he could see hints of inquisition in magenta eyes and he found himself curious as to why it was there. Whatever she might have asked didn't come because the Uchiha Clan Head had already turned to his son. This time offering up the youngest of the two brothers, "Take Sasuke to his room Itachi, make sure he gets to sleep."

Again Itachi nodded, holding out his arms for the small bundle of flesh and bones and blankets. Once the familiar weight was in his arms, he bowed a little as he exited the kitchen, heading directly for the living room and then the hallway. All the way he kept his sable eyes half-lidded black ones. The young boy giggled and gurgled as he reached for a lock of Itachi's hair, tugging slightly when it was in his grasp. The heir smiled slightly, not bothering to dissuade the action of the sleepy boy. Once inside his room, he set him in the crib, easily and gently retrieving all of his body parts even as he tucked the infantile in. "Goodnight, Sasuke."

Happy, but quite gurgles were his only reply as the boy drifted in and out of sleep, finally settling on unconsciousness after several minutes of the eldest rocking the crib in a steady, slight motion.

The boy was so small, so vulnerable. And he had so much potential to be anything he wanted to. Itachi wasn't sure if should be saddened to know that the route he would probably take was in the older boy's footsteps. He wasn't sure he wanted that, to see that. But if it ended up being what Sasuke wanted, he would support and protect him as best as he could because this was his little brother. And that made everything worth it.

After a few lingering moments, Itachi let go of the crib side, stepping backwards as he did so. Turning on his heel he left the room, allowing the door to be left just slightly ajar so that no one bother the child but they could still hear him if he called out.

When he returned to the kitchen all four adults had found seats around the table, but upon his entrance his mother climbed to her feet. "Itachi, would you be a dear and keep Sakura company?"

His mind raced to put a face to the new name, only to realize that if he was keeping Sakura company then she had to be here already and she wasn't one of the adults, meaning that she was the baby still in her mother's arms. He tried not to frown, it wasn't like he was going to rebuff his own mother, if they had things to talk about and would rather not chance him or the baby hearing then that was their business. It made him curious, but then again a lot of things still caught his interest. So, like the dutiful son he was being raised to be, he simply nodded his consent.

Again he got that motherly smile and he was remind of how much he liked it, but he turned his attention to the other mother in the room. She'd stood and skirted her husband so that she could be right in front of the five year old. With that same smile his mother still wore, she bent down to hand the small baby green bundle over to the child. "She's very fussy sometimes." Koko forewarned.

As if to punctuate her words, the second the baby was out of her mother's arms, her eyes came open and she huffed. That was all the warning he got before she started crying. He winced slightly at the loudness of it, quickly changing his hold so that she was nearer to his chest. A small hand reached out for the fabric of his shirt, fisting it with fragile fingers with a strength that belied her appearance. From there he carefully shifted her, allowing her the chance to nose her way into his shoulder and she did so without hesitation. He could feel her green eyes still on him as he began to rock her, bouncing her just a bit against his own still small body. And just like that, she settled, quieting to nothing more then small giggles and curious tugs.

While his full focus was centered on her, he didn't notice the knowing look all four adult present exchanged. He vaguely heard them as they excused themselves, telling him they would out back near the pond if he needed anything. All he did was nod absentmindedly too focused on keeping the baby girl settled.

He found she calmed even further when he made eye contact, noting the tuft of pink hair atop her head as he did so. Slowly he placed one foot in front of the other until he came to the tableside, adjusting his body so he could still rock her and seat himself at one of the four chairs.

She giggled again, reaching out with her other hand, this one reaching for his face. He stayed still and relaxed as her fingers skimmed the underside of his jaw. The young prodigy even offered her a small encouraging smile as she flattened her hand against his cheek, her green eyes watching her hand with wonder. It moved upward, never losing contact as small fingers explored to his nose and circled his lips before going back up to his cheek bones and across his forehead. Finally they stopped at the underside of his right eye.

"Pwetty." The girl gurgled.

He blinked and it made her laugh. The smile widened just a bit as he moved one of his hands, shifting her weight to settle on his lap and arm, he brought it up to his face. Gently, he grasped her hand, engulfing it in his own, and tugged it back down to her body. She let it drop like a dead weight when he let go, but quickly brought it back up to grab his thumb – her hand too small to hold much more – and pulled it to her own face.

It took him only a moment to understand what she wanted, and so he too traced the contours of her face, stopping under her left eye, "Unique." He told her.

She giggled again. Letting go of his shirt she brought both hands to his one and grasped it on either side, though not even her fingertips touched as she did so. She pulled the hand down and into her chest, refusing to let go as she blinked her big green eyes. "Mi'e." After a bit of turning the sound over in his mind, he realized that word had been 'mine.'

He was about to shake his head, tell her that his hand was not hers, but she'd already dozed off. Already, she had begun to curl herself into his body. So he closed his mouth and simply let her be as he shifted for them both to be more comfortable. His eyes slid shut and he let a sleep take him too. Never once did she let go of his hand that she held so close to her heart and he never pulled it back from her.


	53. 106 Karma: Circular

**Title:** Moments in Time: A Close Up

**Author:** AppleL0V3R

**Beta-reader:** Terror-Of-The-Crimson-Night

**Fandom:** Naruto

**Pairing:** Uchiha, Itachi and Haruno, Sakura

**Chapter:** Fifty-Three – #106 Karma: Circular

**Rating:** T

**Type:** One-shot – Complete

**Summary:** Prompts from Moments in Time that I was requested to expand on. 53. 106 – Karma: Circular. Sakura hated how every time she tried to get back at Naruto, something worse happened to her.

**Word Count:** 3,450

**Disclaimer:** If you've heard of it before, then it's obviously not mine.

**Note:** As the summary states these were skits I was asked to turn into actually works. I will always put which one it was and the skit just before the chapter. They won't be in numerical order because I'm doing them as I'm requested. They won't be any more than one-shots though they may become two to five –shots (I will forewarn when that happens) but they won't become stories unless I choose to.

**Request by:** Anime Freak456, Akatsuki Sakura Uchiha, Kimiko-oneechan and mUmaRhz

..:Xx0o0xX:..

106. Karma (Sakura)

Karma's a bitch. Sakura has decided. But why revenge is a dish best served cold, she doesn't know. Either way, they're both the bane of her existence right now. Why? Because Naruto had pulled another prank again, but it wasn't that he hid behind her, no he'd hidden _from_ her. Because she'd been the victim.

So of course, she'd set out to get him back. And she did. Mostly. See, her plan went a little too perfectly and for the first time she regretted perfection. Sure Naruto would never forget this incident, but neither would she because she'd managed to get the wrong person's attention.

And now, Naruto was gone and she was pinned to something – a wall maybe? – somewhere at night by Uchiha, Itachi.

..:Xx0o0xX:..

Sakura would love to claim that she was victim here, but a very large part of her knew that wasn't completely true. She may have been at first, but then she'd retaliated and that had ended her up somewhere between baffled and seduced.

And of course, claiming to be a victim went hand in hand with having a perpetrator. In her case there two. However, she only blamed one, and though she could do so with reasonable evidence, it still wasn't completely founded.

The bare bones and truth of it: Naruto had pranked her – again – and so she'd tried to get back at him and failed – again – but ended up kissed stupid by Uchiha, Itachi – oh hey that's new.

She just couldn't decide if that day had been her day or not. After all, she had been horribly embarrassed. But hadn't that been balanced out by having one of the hottest guys in Konoha pay complete and utter attention to her for more than one night? It seemed more than fair. That didn't mean she didn't still want revenge on Naruto for what he'd done.

She supposed she should start at the beginning, maybe thinking the whole thing over step by step would give her an answer. The morning had started out relatively normal, at least as normal as her life could get between all of her friends and her job.

Granted getting out the door on time was usually no problem for her, and though the mere fact of being almost late would have her cursing under her breath, that morning it was probably a good thing. Huffing loudly, Sakura sprinted out the door, white hospital coat thrown over one arm and an apple in the other. She dodged easily between the early morning crowd of people. Being up before the sun was never her favorite thing, but she had to be if she wanted the necessary time to get ready for the day and still get to her office on time.

This morning she'd woken with the sun. So here she was a whole hour later than she was supposed to be and hoping, in vain, that word didn't get back to Tsunade-shishou about this. But as the 'in vain' in that sentence pointed out, somewhere around Sakura's only lunch break her teacher had stopped by to chat about it. Thankfully the blonde haired woman understood that things happened and with how on top of it her student usually was, she let the fact that the rosette was more than an hour late simply slide. Just that once, but it still made for a more than content and relieved medic. With that the Hokage had stayed for a conversation more before she left with something about how Shizune was probably looking for her since she'd simply up and left again.

The Haruno girl loved her teacher and all of her antics, until they ended up bogging down her day as well. The Fifth had a tendency to be squirrelly as hell when it came to paperwork and so some of it usually ended up getting foisted off onto the younger of her two assistants, despite the fact that said young woman wasn't actually a Hokage's assistant. Just former apprentice.

And so, though she'd been let off with an amiable warning, she ended up with paperwork. Which left her to wonder what a real punishment would have been, only to repress the thought because of the mere shudders it brought on just contemplating the question.

But that would not be the extent of her horrible luck. It seemed when Haruno, Sakura hit a bad luck strike, she truly hit a bad luck strike. Thankfully, that didn't mean any patients' lives were lost, that would have been more than bad luck.

It did mean that while she was helping sedate a mental patient, she found herself on the other side of a syringe full of morphine. She'd winced as her eye went wide, her arm losing all feeling and that in turn meant that she lost her hold on his upper body and got herself knocked to the floor, her right eye stinging as she felt the onset of a black eye. Closing them both, she'd let the pain sink in and her mind adjust so that when she opened them moments later, she was on her feet and finding a way to pin the difficult patient down once more with just one arm.

For the next hour she'd holed herself up in her office and simply focused on paperwork and cringing at how her left handed penmanship wasn't as good as her right, but it was more than legible compared to the chicken scratch that doctors were notorious for. By the end of the hour the numbness that had incased her arm had finally begun to dissipate, even if it was at an irritatingly slow rate. But with the gradual return of feeling came the sharp pin pricks of nerve endings that were just starting to hum to life once more.

All in all, by three o'clock, she was more than ready to call it a day.

And with her luck still in full swing – she was beginning to wonder if this was karma for something she'd done recently that had offset her life just enough that universe felt she needed to be balanced out once more – she found herself victimized again. If she were being completely honest, it wasn't that bad. Naruto had managed much, much worse things in the past. This was more irritating than anything else, but because of her streak thus far she was beyond irate and straight into getting back at the blonde.

So when she felt something cold and slimy splatter in her hair and stream down her back and face, coating her in a gooey feeling substance, her green eyes ignited with fire. And the only thing she could think was that her heart's brother was dead meat.

First things first, she would have to find the brat. And knowing him, he was always within the vicinity to see how well his prank had worked. Closing her eyes a moment, she focused on finding his signature and was proven right moments later when she found him a few rooftops over to her right. Without preamble, she turned on her heeled feet and jumped straight for the top of the building next to the hospital. When she landed she moved forward as quickly as the stick substance and her legs would allow. Within moments she was nearly to Naruto's location, he stayed where he was grinning and clearly trying not to double over in laughter. As she closed in he started backing up until he turned and bolted, obviously intended to engage her in a game of tag of sorts, one where he didn't want to get tagged.

Normally, she wouldn't be enticed into such childishness after just having worked the morning shift at the hospital, but right then, her temper was too high for her to care and so she didn't mind giving chase. She didn't mind trying to get the slimy green stuff off of her – without even wondering what it might be – and throwing it at him in hopes of putting him in the same boat as her. She would not be the only one in Konoha wearing green goop that afternoon, it just wasn't happening.

But of course her luck streak would strike again, not only did she not get her bratmate, but she managed to get someone else. Which she realized was a repercussion of her actions, one she hadn't exactly thought about in her haste to even the score. But she certainly thought about it then as she watched with horror as it caught _the_ Uchiha, Itachi dead in the back. She skidded to a halt and her brain blanked, only able to compute just how dead she was going to be for doing that, accident or not.

And she'd say it again, today was simply not her day.

He seemed to turn slowly as his face came into view and his eyes zeroed in on her, flickering only once to Naruto, who had also stopped with wide blue eyes, but then came back to her.

"I'm so, so sorry, Uchiha." She blurted out before he could say anything, "I didn't mean to hit you, honest. I was just trying to get back at Naruto and…" Crap, she was babbling wasn't she?

Sable eyes didn't lose their intensity as he reached behind him, his arm coming back into view within seconds holding the glob in his hand, in fact he didn't even look away from her. Turning completely, the older shinobi started for her at an easy gate. Each step he took made her insides quiver with unease and fright as her brain presented all the horrible ways this could and probably would turn out.

As he passed Naruto, he nodded to the blonde, clearly telling him to leave because he was not needed there. The kyuubi holder stayed in place for a moment, his eyes darting to Sakura to ascertain that she would be alright. Instinctively she put on a brave face and stood a little taller, with her point made, her teammate hesitated just the slightest before simply vanishing where he stood. Which left just her and the Uchiha. Oh crap, her panicked mind supplied, this was not going to end well. But accident or not, she had thrown that slimy substance and it had hit the ANBU captain, so she would take whatever punishment he dished out for her childishness and reckless actions. That's what they were after all, and she knew that. Why, oh why, had she let herself be pulled into her brother's game when she knew that it couldn't possibly end well? Oh right, because she didn't know how to control her temper. And now it was going to bite her in the ass like karma.

He stopped mere feet from her, "I would suggest you don't try such a thing again."

Wide eyed and more than willing to acquiesce, she nodded her head vigorously, "Of course, Uchiha."

She saw his eyes travel the length of her body, figuring that he was probably simply seeing the extent that she had been gotten with Naruto's prank. She could feel the stuff on her toes and calves and it made her self conscious in front of someone so awe inspiring, not to mention completely cute. But she wasn't going to go there because she didn't need to make her situation worse than it already was. When his gaze locked with hers once more he tilted his head in an almost pensive sort of way, "But I'm not going to let this slide by."

Her heart sank. She thought as much, but she had certainly hoped that he wouldn't add that on. Refusing to back down because her earlier resolve was still in her back and it kept her from acting like a child once more, she didn't look away as she waited for whatever came next.

Again his eyes seemed to look her over, this time more analytically. "You are a medic, correct?"

She nodded, "That's correct."

"Have you been trained as a field medic as well?"

The question almost threw her. Almost. But she was smart enough to know where this was going. "When would you like me to be ready?"

"Tomorrow, five AM at the village gates."

Resisting the urge to cringe at how early that was, she nodded again to show that she understood.

Then he was simply gone.

She closed her green eyes and took a deep breath, tomorrow and the next who knew how many days were going to be long. Even if she didn't know the mission. Her body stiffened with that piece of knowledge because it meant she didn't even know what to be ready for.

And what the hell was she going to tell her boys?

..:Xx0o0xX:..

Sakura shoved her hands in her pockets, her feet taking her towards her home though she wasn't truly paying attention to where she was going. She was far too focused on the day's events. Somehow, Itachi really had gotten her on board his ANBU mission that was in six or so hours and so she ended up simply leaving a not for the rest of team 7, hoping and praying that they either wouldn't see until she left or would do anything rash about it.

Over all, things that she wouldn't have to be worried about if she'd remembered to check her temper rather than let it see the light of day. In her defense, a bad day plus one of Naruto's pranks was not the recipe for any kind of patience, not even for her.

Which left her at screwed, exhausted and irritated. Definitely not the best combination but there wasn't much she could do about it now, except, perhaps, vow to remember for the rest of eternity to think of the consequences before acting with her emotions in mind. That would teach her to be rational.

Resisting the urge to sigh, she lifted her hand to catch her hair as she felt the wind pick up around her. Miraculously, the green slim her blonde best friend had covered her in that afternoon was relatively easy to simply pull out of her hair with almost no damage at all. That had to be the best thing that had happened to her all day.

She stopped where she was, keeping a firm hold on her hair as she let her eyes close. One of the things she'd always enjoyed with the first night air that blew through Konoha on occasion. So even if it cost her sleeping time, she was willing to stay up and outside just to bask in the feel of the warm air rushing around her body in an almost embrace. Taking a deep breath and letting herself simply feel for a moment longer, she opened green eyes once more.

Only to freeze.

Standing in front of her just a few feet away was the same person who had caused her to stop dead in her tracks only a handful of hours earlier. This time though, his intense gaze held flecks of amusement and curiosity as his sable eyes locked on hers.

Unable to move an inch and her breath coming shallowly, it was all she could do to watch as he approached. Each step was soundless and slow, as if he knew she wasn't going anywhere and that they had all the time in the world. Something in her brain finally clicked on when was almost within arm's length of her and she let her body react the way it wanted to, taking a quick step back for every easy one he did.

But her luck, clearly, figured since it wasn't midnight yet it still had free reign to make her situation worse. Because, before she could get very far or even think to turn and run her back hit something hard. It was slightly jagged, like bricks and she knew that it was a wall and she wasn't going anywhere. Crap, she thought in an almost panic, as she tried not to seem too shifty as she strived to find a way out. And, of course, there wasn't one.

Within seconds of her back hitting the wall, he stopped, the toes of his shoes literally bumping against hers with how much he invaded her personal space. Was it just her, or did very intimidating people have no concept of a personal bubble? Sasuke was the exact way, he didn't seem to care if he was too close for comfort no matter what the situation was.

As Itachi began to lean down slightly, his forearm bracing his weight just inches from her head – when had that gotten there? – all thoughts of space and Sasuke promptly flew out of her mind. "May I help you, Uchiha?" Somewhere in the back of her mind, she noted how almost stuttering her voice sounded, but right then she didn't really care.

Too dark eyes gave her a once over as he appeared to think her question over before finally he nodded. "Yes, I realized that I forgot to give you a mission scroll." Despite his words, her scrambling brain told her that there wasn't a rolled piece of parchment in his hands and she didn't dare look to his pockets to see if he'd placed it inside them.

She forced herself to breath as naturally as possible, "Oh. How thoughtful of you, but I saw Shishou earlier and she gave me a copy of the scroll and what my roll in it would be." Step away, she thought to herself hopefully, because really, it seemed like all he was doing was getting closer and she wasn't sure she liked that. At least not with how her stomach was flipping nervously, the little butterflies inside were in some kind of flurry that made her wonder if she wasn't simply nauseous. Either way, it wasn't something she wanted to ponder; she just wanted him to give her some breathing room because sharing breath with anyone wasn't the most appealing idea out there. Though, his did smell nice, almost minty, which only served to amplify the rainwater-musky scent that seemed to coat every inch of the guy.

He leaned back slightly, still analyzing and observing her with those eyes. Strangely she didn't feel like a test subject though, just something that was being handled with the utmost care. Immediately she shoved that line of thinking aside because it induced a warm sort of feeling and she didn't even know the guy. She was brought out of her thoughts once more when he hummed lightly, nodding a bit as he did so, but he still didn't move back any. And that was starting make her more than a little nervous.

Her stomach clenched and her eyes widened, but only a fraction before she felt a small weight on her lips. Her heart stopped a moment then sputtered into double time as she realized almost dazedly that _the _Uchiha, Itachi that she'd accidently thrown and hit slime with was currently kissing her.

Which, in her mind, totally made up for all the horrible luck she had that day.

If she didn't think about how she didn't know him all that well and that he was Sasuke's older brother or that starting tomorrow she'd spending at least a week keeping her eyes on his back as she followed him through their mission. But considering she was still hung up over the fact that he was kissing her – no matter the reason – she didn't have much trouble thinking about all the possible problems that went with being this intimate with Itachi.


	54. 113 Vulgar: Coarse

**Title:** Moments in Time: A Close Up

**Author:** AppleL0V3R

**Beta-reader:** Terror-Of-The-Crimson-Night

**Fandom:** Naruto

**Pairing:** Uchiha, Itachi and Haruno, Sakura

**Chapter:** Fifty-Four – #113 Vulgar: Coarse

**Rating:** T

**Type:** One-shot – Complete

**Summary:** Prompts from Moments in Time that I was requested to expand on. 54. 113 – Vulgar: Coarse. Itachi reminded himself to break her of such an unladylike habit.

**Word Count:** 1,660

**Disclaimer:** If you've heard of it before, then it's obviously not mine.

**Note:** As the summary states these were skits I was asked to turn into actually works. I will always put which one it was and the skit just before the chapter. They won't be in numerical order because I'm doing them as I'm requested. They won't be any more than one-shots though they may become two to five –shots (I will forewarn when that happens) but they won't become stories unless I choose to.

**Request by:** Anime Freak456, child of a fallen angel and mUmaRhz

..:Xx0o0xX:..

113. Vulgar (Itachi)

He pauses and blinks, momentarily stunned because he hadn't known or even expected her to use such coarse language. She was usually so polite and well mannered that the idea that she used such words had never occurred to him. Though as he watched her glare at whatever she thought had earned such verbal abuse he decided that she was one of the few who could pull off the words without looking any less intelligent or ladylike. That didn't, however, mean he wanted to hear them coming from her for any reason.

So he cleared his throat.

Amusement immediately found a home in his chest when she jumped and slowly craned her head to him. He heard her mutter another cuss word under her breath.

..:Xx0o0xX:..

"Dismissed."

With that, everyone in the room started to disperse, all of them aware of what they were supposed to do next. Itachi watched them as they filed out of the exit while mingling with coworkers and talking about the case. He supposed it didn't matter if they did it in here, since he'd expressly told everyone on this case that not one word said in the meeting room was to reach outside ears until the case was solved and even then some details were to be withheld.

Now all he had to do was sit back and watch for the leak. He knew there was one, that's why he'd said everything was secretive, if something that shouldn't reached the press he would know be able to narrow down who the traitor was. Plan and simple. Trapping mice had always been easy for him. Closing his eyes for a moment to let the built up stress drain from his body a little, he waited until the room seemed to silence before opening them again. Sasuke was still in his seat, an eyebrow raised at the older brother with a faint amusement.

Itachi mirrored the uplifted brow and took his time standing and moving towards the door. Hearing the snort behind him, he smirked but didn't comment as he started for his office, today had been long but there were still many hours left of it. It seemed things were always that way lately, with this new mass-murderer on the loose, he simply didn't have time for breaks and rest and the ending of days.

And speaking of things to do, he needed to check in on his forensic scientist. She was the only one he'd exempted from the meeting because he knew she'd been working through the morning and already had the foreknowledge of what was going on. She'd been informed at the same time Sasuke and Uzumaki had. Itachi was fairly certain that she nor his bother or the blonde were the leak, the three stood beside each other firmly and if one was a culprit the other two were bound to be as well. But there was only one person responsible for all the deaths.

He easily crossed the threshold of the desks and quads to get to the elevator, but instead of taking it he took the stairs that were to the left of the thick metal doors. He preferred the stairs because they were safer and quieter, and he was not above admitting that he knew it irritated his scientist.

At the bottom of the stairs, he turned to his left sharply, not needing to go all the far to get to the door that lead to her office and lab.

However once he was in the doorway he paused and blinked at the sound of her voice, "Shit." And he finds himself momentarily stunned because he hadn't known or even expected her to use such coarse language. She was usually so polite and well mannered that the idea that she used such words had never occurred to him. Though, as he watched her glare at whatever she thought had earned such verbal abuse, he decided that she was one of the few who could pull off the words without looking any less intelligent or ladylike. That didn't, however, mean he wanted to hear them coming from her for any reason.

So he cleared his throat.

Amusement immediately found a home in his chest when she jumped and slowly craned her head to him. He heard her mutter another cuss word under her breath.

He hadn't really caught it the word but he knew it was one syllable. He the word itself no mind as he padded soundlessly into the lab area until he was standing beside her. Her green eyes stayed on him, slightly wide and her mouth turned into a sheepish smile.

Immediately, he knew she was expecting a reprimand for her choice of words. And he had been about to as well, but at the last moment he turned toward the screen and gave her a sidelong glance. "Have you found anything?"

Slowly, clearly stunned she shook her head. It took her only a moment to come to a conclusion, one that involved her thinking she was off the hook he was sure, as she too turned to the computer, "Nothing concrete. I have a positive match for thirteen of the seventeen victims, but that's it. Everything that I get is only the victims, their DNA, their fingerprints, their skin fibers. Which is why I've still got nothing."

Itachi nodded, he actually hadn't expected her to get so much with how little evidence they had. But that's why Haruno, Sakura was one of the best forensic scientists out there, and that's why she worked for him. He stayed where he was, waiting for her to continue.

Green eyes blinked him, seeming at a loss once more, but only for a moment. But then long fingers were back on her keyboard, the sound of her manicured nails against the keys almost as loud as the sound of them being pressed. Within seconds she'd pulled up all thirteen files.

Names and faces and records showed up one by one, filling her computer screen but she didn't seem quite done as her nails kept clicking against the keyboard as she pressed the ones she wanted. Turning to him, she started in on the list, each profile enlarged as she came to it, telling him about each one. How they died, what happened to them before and after death and who they were. When she was done she paused and he could see the gears turning in her head as she thought of if there was anything else he needed to see.

"And that's all that I have right now. I will till you if I have more, sir."

He nodded thoughtfully; this new information could be very useful especially with knowing just how thorough their killer was. "Good work."

She grinned, clearly happy with the praise. He knew why, it was rare that he verbally showed his gratitude for what had been accomplished and even then not many earned it. Sakura was simply one of the few who tended to most of the time, because she was always giving him more than he expected and doing everything he asked in less than the small measurements of time he gave her. The woman was a workaholic really, one who enjoyed her job and got along really well with her coworkers and definitely never gave him complaints when he told her do something.

But she also had a mouth on her, she loved to argue almost as much as Kisame and apparently, she also had the cursing tendency down as well. Which reminded him, he still needed to rectify that particular part. "And Haruno,"

She paused, giving him a curious look, "Sir?"

He bent down and kissed the girl. His scientist and subordinate she may be, but he'd liked her a long time and if it got his point across than he didn't see why he shouldn't. Itachi felt her freeze in place, clearly she hadn't expected it. The rosette always had been obtuse towards others when it came to seeing just how much they liked her. Flirting didn't even work with her unless it was obvious and harmless. He pulled back an inch or so, his lips still almost touching hers, "If you cuss again, I will kiss you again." And with that he took a step back, content to wait for a response.

She blinked her big eyes at him, the daze still clear in them. Finally she nodded, showing that she understood his condition. And then she paused again, a small smirk replacing the slight haze. It was a smirk that was all too similar to Sasuke's and Itachi knew instinctively it meant that she was willing to tease and make fun. "But sir, I don't see how that's a punishment."

With an arched eyebrow, he decided to play her game, "No?"

Quickly the smirk turned into a grin as she shook her head emphatically, "I sure as hell don't."


	55. 114 Big: Problem

**Title:** Moments in Time: A Close Up

**Author:** AppleL0V3R

**Beta-reader:** Terror-Of-The-Crimson-Night

**Fandom:** Naruto

**Pairing:** Uchiha, Itachi and Haruno, Sakura

**Chapter:** Fifty-Five – #114 Big: Problem

**Rating:** M – for very suggestive themes, but nothing explicit

**Type:** One-shot – Complete

**Summary:** Prompts from Moments in Time that I was requested to expand on. 55. 114 – Big: Problem. Next time she would think before she jumped on an impulse. But, next time wasn't an option.

**Word Count:** 5,770

**Disclaimer:** If you've heard of it before, then it's obviously not mine.

**Note:** As the summary states these were skits I was asked to turn into actually works. I will always put which one it was and the skit just before the chapter. They won't be in numerical order because I'm doing them as I'm requested. They won't be any more than one-shots though they may become two to five –shots (I will forewarn when that happens) but they won't become stories unless I choose to.

Out of curiosity, does anyone feel like I put in too much detail for appearance (as in, was everything that I put in necessary or does it matter)?

Also, I have never in my life been to a bar or club. So I don't claim to know if this is what they are like. So if anyone feels that I'm way off base, please tell me.

**Request by:** Anime Freak456, amawasya, mUmaRhz and an anonymous reviewer

..:Xx0o0xX:..

114. Big (Sakura)

It wasn't that big of a problem. Not really. Honestly.

Oh, who was she kidding?

This wasn't just a big problem it was a humungous one. And she was an idiot. Because who – besides and idiot – went to a club with a group of friends, drink too much, dance with a guy and follow the guy out of the club and elope with him?

..:Xx0o0xX:..

And she was pretty sure the world hated her or someone did. Because that guy? Yeah, he might kinda sorta be one of the most powerful and important people in Japan.

Well, maybe next time she wouldn't drink too much or kiss a guy without even asking for his name. At least now she had a good story to tell Ino.

Sakura huffed, crossing her arms as she halfway affected irritation. "Ino, we have classes tomorrow, maybe going to a bar tonight would, you know, _not_ be a good idea."

The blonde haired twenty-two year old merely waved her hand in the air to dismiss such a thought. "Don't be absurd, Saks. It's not like we're having finals or even a test. It's not like I'm asking you to get wasted, I just want to go out and club and have a good time. Nothing wrong with that."

And that's why the young woman was passing all of her classes, her ability to rationalize and persuade her way through anything. The rosette, however, actually had to pay attention and study and do her work to pass her classes with grades she wanted. And to do that, going to a bar, even if she was ready for the next day, just didn't seem like the wisest idea. But as usual, she knew her best friend since childhood would win, she always did.

Sighing, she let her arms fall to her sides limply, "But when I want to go, you'll go without a problem right?"

Again she got a nonchalant wave and knew that was neither a 'yes' or 'no' but somewhere between an 'maybe' and 'you think so, huh?' and she also knew it was the best she was going to get. So resigning herself to the whole thing, she nodded her consent because it wasn't like she was going to actually get out of it anyway.

Ino squealed happily, her blue eyes lighting up as she tugged to their joint closet so that she could dress up the rosette. The older girl didn't know why her best friend loved to do so, but the fact of the matter was that she did and so the blonde was allowed to do it almost every time.

This time she was put in a skin tight, blood red, halter top with a bodice that laced up the front in a very showy manner and had no sleeves or straps, she almost groaned when she saw the piece of clothing in her roommates hands because she knew that it would take at least an hour for her to get it off when the two of them got home. But even she had to admit, it looked nice once it was on and it felt like a second skin so it wasn't all that uncomfortable. Except for the fact that it made her feel like she wasn't wearing anything to cover her chest and it showed off her belly button. The blonde haired twenty-two year old had coupled that with a pair of leather black pants that also clung to her body like a second skin and would be a pain to try to get off her ass when the end of the night came around. Deep red almost black high heels with too many straps were thrown in as well.

Sakura insisted on black-hand gloves, to which her friend had muttered something about her being a germ freak, but the comment was ignored in favor of make up. The med student typically tended towards a thin layer of eyeliner and some foundation as well as Chap Stick or lipstick. But since she was getting dragged to the bar, she ended up with some red, red lip gloss, blush, mascara, slightly thicker black eyeliner than she normally wore and eye shadow in a red shade that complimented her hair color. Speaking of hair, her long pink locks were pulled back in a loose braid and tied off with a ribbon instead of a simple hair tie, but when the blue eyed girl was attending to her own make up she put one in just incase.

After Ino was done, she practically dragged Sakura to the pinkette's car, pushing her lightly towards the driver's side even as she headed for the passenger side. Shaking her head slightly with a smile on her face, she dug out her keys from her purse and in moments was in the car, had it started and was backing out as the blonde fiddled with the radio.

It didn't take long for her to get to the club the younger girl wanted them to go to, and with minimal instructions she found the place easily. It didn't look that big from the outside, but the parking lot was full of cars and people, making it nearly impossible to navigate her way without hitting someone let alone find a space. The second she did though, Ino was unbuckling her seat belt and getting out of the car before it was even off.

Rolling her eyes at the blonde's antics, she finished turning it off and getting out herself, but she didn't hurry to catch up with the other girl. There wasn't a need to because said girl had paused at the rear of Sakura's car and was currently giving her an impatient look. It was a wonder she had gotten through all those years of being the girl's almost sister and was still putting up with it. But there were definitely perks to being so close to Ino; they were just easy to forget when the girl was being irritating was all.

The first thing to hit her sense when she entered the club side by side with the blue-eyed girl was that it smelled like alcohol and smoke, the next was that there was a hell of a lot of people and finally was that the band on stage all the way on the other side of the room sucked.

Why did people come to these things? It made no sense to her, but before she could turn and walk back out, Ino had grabbed her wrist – clearly anticipating her last second want to leave – and pulled her into the tangle of limbs and bodies. And she proceeded to lead them straight for the bar. Of course, the green eyed girl though, it just figured that the bar was the first place her best friend would head for. Sakura couldn't count all of her fingers and toes just how many times she's had to make sure her friend got home safe and sound just because the girl decided to get drunk at a party or club. If they weren't such good friends, she wasn't sure she would still even bother, but as it was, she loved the girl too much.

"Two White Russians, please." Ino told the bartender who was a few feet away. He smiled at her and nodded to show her that he'd heard her and would get to it.

Not five minutes later the drinks were placed before the two and the blonde had forked over the amount of money necessary to pay for it. Without actually pausing to think about what a horrible idea drinking alcohol was, Sakura had already taken enough drinks to have the whole thing gone.

And before the blonde could turn back to her, Sakura was already diving into the crowd intent on heading for the dance floor. She knew that her friend would find her as she always did, until then she was more than content on simply dancing her ass off and enjoying herself. It wasn't like she was going to be able to get out the door before Ino caught her and she didn't feel like sulking, so this was the only option she had.

When she deemed herself far enough in, she turned and searched for her companion, and spotted the high pony tail of platinum blonde hair that named said young woman. Smiling, she turned back around, made some breathing room for herself and let her green eyes slip shut. She focused on the sound, letting her body find the rhythm while her feet found the beat. Once she had it, she let her body move whichever way suited it.

More than once as she moved to the drums and words, she shifted out of the way of reaching hands. That was why she made the circle; she didn't come here so some guy could grope her ass and press himself against her in a pathetic attempt to call it dancing. She came here because Ino roped her into it and she was dancing to pass the night faster. And it did, she wasn't sure how much time passed, but more than one band since the one that had been playing when she walked in had gone on stage and come off it.

She found it odd how Ino didn't find her before the first band ended their time, but as minutes and notes blurred into each other, she forgot to pay it any mind. Vaguely, though, she did remember all but chugging that drink and even more faintly she thought about how she'd always been a lush. Sakura and alcohol just didn't go together because the rosette couldn't hold it down no matter how much alcohol she'd had in the past. That was why she tended to avoid all types of the stuff.

Somewhere along the way, she'd begun to sing along, not really sure if she was hitting all the notes and not caring either. All she cared about was moving her body and enjoying it. In fact she cared so little that at some point, she'd let arms encircle her midsection. Her mind telling her it was okay cause the guy wasn't grabbing her ass or her chest, and though she could feel his chest pressed against her back, they were both definitely dancing. So she let it go, let the guy she didn't know dance almost intimately.

It felt good, she noted, something she would love to do again if the chance was presented to her. But it wasn't likely that it would happen again since she didn't even know what he looked like, though she was half sure she'd know it was him if he wrapped his arms around her like this again. Even with her mind fogged by the alcohol she'd drunk earlier, she told herself that he had a nice voice when he spoke into her ear. She found herself nodding to what he had said, unable to fight the shiver that the heat of his breath had induced or maybe it was just the sound of crushed velvet directed at her. Sakura didn't know, and frankly, she didn't care as long as she got to hear more.

Maybe that was why when she faintly noticed that they were closer to the door than they had been however long ago she didn't do anything but push the observation away. Maybe that was also why when she felt the cold night air hit her body she didn't bother to even protest. After all, he was right there, almost a heater as he lead her down the sidewalk and towards the parking lot. And besides, he'd told her before hand why she was out her, hadn't he? He'd promised that they would go together and that when all was said and done he'd get her home safe and sound.

So, why not?

..:Xx0o0xX:..

Sakura groaned softly when she woke. She wasn't a morning person, when she started to wake whether it was of her own free will or not, she did not like to do it. So instead of even trying to open her eyes, she turned over on her side to curl deeper into the warm chest beside her.

And promptly froze.

Reaching out with her hand and ignoring her head which had started to throb, she touched the nicely toned muscles that were definitely masculine. And definitely naked. She jerked her head up to look right into sable black eyes, amused black eyes. She felt a muscle tighten, one that wasn't under her hand, in fact it was around her waist. Which wasn't the worst thing in the world considering the skin was warm and strong, the type of arms that a hopeless romantic dreamed about, except that she could literally feel the texture of the skin because hers was also bared.

And it wasn't just because her shirt had ridden up or her pants were a little low, it was because she couldn't feel even so much as a stitch of thread on her body.

So, logically, her mind started freaking out.

First it wanted to know who the stranger in bed with her was, but it also wanted to know where she was because this didn't feel like her bed, and finally it wanted to know what the hell happened the night before because she couldn't remember anything. What a fine mess, she though to herself, she'd managed to end up in a one-night stand, the exact thing she told Ino she would never ever do.

Oh god. Ino.

Sakura groaned again, letting her head fall against the warm heat that was the guy's chest and promptly yanked backwards.

Before she could actually separate her body from his, he tightened his arm again, pulling her flush against him. It took her mind a moment – a very long hazy moment – to gain its bearings as she felt her cheeks grew extremely warm. And she tried not to let the first thoughts to return be anything along the lines of how good it felt, how it made her not want to move away ever again. Because she still didn't even know the guy, except that those pretty eyes of his seemed familiar. Along with his inky black hair that was spilled all over the pillow, mixing nicely with her own pink locks.

She had to suppress a gasp as she realized that this was the guy she'd let wrap his arms around her and dance with her because he wasn't just trying to cop a feel. Now she felt like a moron, a complete and utter moron. On the upside though, he was pretty damn good looking and his husky voice was still ringing in her ears, holding a pleasant sound that she still wouldn't mind putting on reply.

Enough, she told her brain, because right then was not the time to be thinking about that, even if he was pressing her so completely against him and…great. She wasn't going to get anything done like this, especially not since the throbbing had grown more pronounced and he still looked absolutely amused.

"Let go." The blush still on her face increased when she heard the undeniable squeak in her voice as she tried in vain to wiggle away from him.

Her efforts only got her pinned under him with an even less of a chance of getting away. "No."

She had to fight to keep her green eyes open and not luxuriate in the sound of that voice. After all, she was pretty sure this counted as holding her hostage, if she wanted to try for it. So like the shy girl she'd always been, she kept trying to get away. "Please."

He leaned down, not quite putting his weight on her, but definitely still touching. She squeezed her eyes shut as she felt his breath on her ear, much the same way as she had the night before, "Why?"

Why? Because she didn't know how the hell he was. And because, last she checked, after the one-night stand it ended and they both were supposed to go on with their lives, not stay in bed for pillow talk. Especially not since she was pretty sure she should be in class.

Class. Biting back a groan at the thought of her perfect attendance going down the drain she took a breath and tried not to squeak as she spoke, "Because I'm supposed to be in class right now."

He paused, pulling back. She felt his eyes on her face, almost burning holes in her with their intensity, but she refused to open her eyes and look back because something told her that would not help her case at all. Of course, her body involuntarily opened them when she felt a large hand cover her cheek, the thumb slightly stroking her cheek bone as it did so, it was so feather light and tender, almost like that of a lovers. It was something that she would have loved in a boyfriend, except she was pretty sure he wasn't looking for that kind of relationship. He was too handsome to want something like that with someone like here.

But what actually got her eyes to open so quickly was the feel of warm metal against her heated skin. And the feeling of her heart sinking as she was proven right. She didn't even try to keep her voice even as she her head to the side, yanking her cheek away from his hand before their eyes could lock. "And the fact that your married." It didn't surprise her that her voice was both soft and bitter, almost sardonic.

His stiffened as he continued to hover over her, but he wasn't rough as he grabbed her chin and tugged until she was facing him once more. This time he wasted no time in finding her eyes with his own, "You don't remember last night?"

She did her best to scowl impressively, "I was drunk."

"Off one glass."

"Ye–" She froze and then narrowed green eyes, "How do you know how much I drank?"

"Because your breath doesn't have that much alcohol on it."

"Oh." That made sense, she supposed, "But that's totally not the point!"

His head tilted and he didn't even flinch at how quickly she'd gone from an almost whisper to a shout. "Then what is the point?"

"I was drunk. I don't remember things when I'm drunk."

He arched an eyebrow and she was about to ask him what the hell he was giving her that half amused look for, but he'd let go over her face. The sudden lose of warm skin from hers let cold rush in to take its place and she involuntarily shivered slightly. She flicked her green eyes downwards to see what he was doing, but the midnight blue sheets were in the way and his eyes beckoned hers back to his face once more. She felt his hand grasp hers and pull it upwards, both appendages quickly coming back into view. The back of her hand faced her as did the golden band on her ring finger that she was pretty sure she wasn't wearing the night before.

It left her stunned and unable to form any kind of sentence whatsoever. When she did find the thoughts and her voice once more she looked back to him, catching those black eyes – and for the first time, coherently at least – noticing that they had flecks of cobalt blue in them.

"You're married to…me."

He nodded, amusement more pronounced now, "Yes, I asked you at the club last night if you wanted to. I hadn't been completely serious, but when you agreed…" The black haired man let his sentence trail off with a shrug.

"So we eloped."

"Would you like a proper wedding?"

Green eyes blinked, her aching head feeling like it had just been slammed into a ton of bricks as it tried to keep up. How did they get from letting her get up to him inquiring if she wanted an actual wedding. "No! I want to get back to my dorm room. My roomie's going to kill me for not even telling her where I am."

He nodded, "Well, we wouldn't want a suicide, now would we?"

She shook her head, thankful that he was finally making sense and that she could go home and forget the whole thing. And she wouldn't have to worry about incredibly handsome guys claiming to be her new husband. She just didn't need that right now.

So to reward him for finally seeing things her way, she give him her best grateful smile she could.

He seemed to pause for a moment before he glanced at something across the room, "But if you're supposed to be in class, wouldn't she as well?"

And her world crashed and burned again, her shoulders drooping slightly. "Yeah, that would make sense. Unless she ditched again." The blonde had done that enough times for the rosette to know that there was the distinct possibility she probably wouldn't even find the girl until noon anyway.

Which also left her reasonless to leave.

She sighed and buried her head in his shoulder blade, not really caring how nonchalant she was being about it because she was too busy thinking of other things. Like how she loved the feel of his hand on her back, rubbing abstract circle patterns into it as the other tangling pleasantly into her hair. She could definitely get used to this.

Before her mind could spaz out on her again, she felt the vibration of his vocal cords and whatever she'd been about to do or say or think was lost to her momentarily. "Do you wish to call her instead?"

She perked up immediately. "Mhm, at least that way she'd know I wasn't dead in a ditch somewhere."

She felt rather than heard his chuckle, it made her body go completely still and shiver at the same time as she found herself melting into it. More of his weight settled on her as he reached out across the bed to a nightstand or something.

A thought occurred to her, "Are we in your house?"

He didn't miss a beat as he pulled his hand back, "We are." But he did pause before handing the small dark green device over, "If you don't even remember getting married, do you remember my name?"

It was her turn to pause, her mind blanking for the barest of moments before it scrambled to search for it. He hadn't lied to her so far, which meant that there was a good chance he gave it to her at some point, probably right after he started dancing with her and maybe after he'd kissed her once or twice. Her mind shouldn't have been too fogged up with alcohol by then so, what in the world was it? She'd always been good with names and faces and, "Itachi."

He didn't blink with surprise, but he did smile. And oh what a sexy smile it was. Somewhere in the back of her mind, a voice long suppressed murmured how if he wanted to keep her and they were married, then why not hang around? Why not stay with him and see where it lead? But it was pushed back down – though not as deep as it once had been – as she reached for her phone.

Itachi didn't try to stop her or do anything except for shift off of her, settling directly next to her as he proceeded to tangle their legs and lay his head on her shoulder. He almost reminded her of her black cat who loved to curl up against her side when she refused to get out of bed for any reason. She pressed the two on her key pad and then talk before tugging into her ear. She heard the play back music that Ino had installed so that the caller would hear some song or other instead of ringing. The song didn't get past the first line before she heard the sound of it being answered.

And of course, she didn't even get a simple 'hi' in before the blonde tore into her, "What the hell, Sakura? I've been looking high and low for you!" She'd instinctively yanked the phone as far away from her ear as she could and was still able to hear the words loud and clear.

She blinked once, trying not to grimace. The rosette also ignored the feel of a chuckle as the man curled around her pressed a kiss onto her shoulder blade, at least she tried to. Did he realize how distracting he was? "Ino–"

"Oh no you don't. Aren't you supposed to be the responsible one? And you realize you've already missed the first class? Where the hell are you?"

This time she huffed. She loved her sister, honest she did, but this was one of those times that she wished the girl would learn how to shut up so her questions could be answered. "Ino." She cut in firmly. "I'm alright. I don't sound like I'm dying or anything do I?"

"No, you sound like your still in bed." Was the quick and snappy reply she got. She rolled her green eyes and was about to continue on when what her friend said sunk in and she froze. "But I already know your not in you're bed. Or Sasuke's." She tried not to notice the way Itachi went rigid against her, but it was almost as impossible as ignoring his kisses, "Or Naruto's. Which begs the question, who's bed _are_ you in?" She could just imagine the other girl checking her nails in a nonchalant manner despite her sharp tone.

"Ino. Look. Can we talk later? You know, when my head isn't pounding and when I've got everything sorted out for myself?"

"Sure." Came the breezy reply, "Talk to you in an hour."

"Wa–" But Ino had already hung up on her.

Sighing softly, she pressed the end button and put her phone back where Itachi had grabbed it from. Speaking of Itachi.

"Sasuke? Naruto?"

Sometimes, she really wished Ino didn't have to blabber like that. His eyes found hers, and for the first time since she woke the really were dark with an almost accusing edge. She couldn't blame him though, it hadn't sounded all that good out of context either.

She shook her head, "Not like that. Sometimes I hang out at their house and when I lose track of time I crash in their bed. They either take the couch or the floor or something." She didn't know why she was going out of her way to assure him considering it wasn't like she had been caught cheating or anything. And besides, he'd known her for less than twenty-four hours, that wasn't enough time to start laying claims on what she did in her free time. Eloped or not, especially since she'd been drunk when she sighed the papers and let the ring be put on her finger.

He hummed absently, most of the rigidness fading from his posture as he reached across her to grasp her hip bone. She blinked in surprise, a retort finding its way to her lips and dying almost instantly. "Wait. Itachi. As in Uchiha, Itachi."

Whatever he had been about to do next didn't come as he too stilled, black eyes blinked once. "Yes. Though I don't remember giving you my full name."

Her mind was already kicking into overdrive as she turned on her side to face him, finding his eyes as he did so. "I don't remember you giving me your last name either. But I do know that Sasuke's last name is Uchiha, and that he has an older brother by the name of Itachi and there's no way its coincidence that you look exactly like him." Before he could open his mouth she forged on, "I've been to Sasuke's house, remember? I've seen the family photos and he's pointed you out in them as well."

To her surprise, he merely smiled at her, "You have quite the sharp mind then, to put that together so quickly from simply remembering my name." The praise had her stomach flipping and flopping as if it couldn't decide if it was flustered or comfortable with his words.

She took a deep breath, ignoring her internals since the clearly intended to be a problem, "I also know that you're one of the most powerful people in all of Japan."

The realization that she'd married such a guy sunk in just as she was saying the words aloud. Well, maybe next time she wouldn't drink too much or kiss a guy without even asking for his name. At least now she had a good story to tell Ino.

Itachi hummed again, and she found herself getting used to the sound. And now that she had a prior knowledge to tie him to, it occurred to her that it was a the same sound Sasuke liked to make, though the elder's was softer and smoother, much more pleasant to hear than his brother's grunts. She wondered if they could be interpreted the same way. "I am. Does that bother you?"

She paused, considering his question a moment. Did it bother her? Did it really matter what position he held in the world? She'd always been a firm believer that things like class and social status should not be a contributor to a relationship if the two involved meant anything to each other. So by that logic, her answer would be no. However, the fact that he was so important did have a few side effects if she even wanted to consider sticking around. "Umm, well. Not really."

"That's not a 'no'."

"I know. The knowledge that your in such a position is actually pretty awe inspiring, especially since I'm still a college student so I'm pretty sure that doesn't bother me."

He blinked down at her, clearly her reasoning had thrown him off guard, but he recovered quickly enough, "Then what does?"

"And it's not the knowledge of being married to someone so powerful either." She cautioned, because if anything was going to bother her about being married to him, it would be the person himself. And what he was like to be around on a daily basis, or after hearing bad news or having a rough day. What he was like when they had an argument or when they were getting along. Those were the types of things she cared about. "It's that, being married to someone of your stature means that things like politics are included."

There was that hum again. She was beginning to think it was simply a sound he made when he was thinking of what he wanted to say. "I see. So it would be the events that you would be expected to go to and the people you would be expected to know."

She nodded, smiling at the fact that he understood what exactly bothered her about being married to a very powerful person.

"Those can be arranged and dealt with accordingly."

Green eyes blinked a few times before she nodded slowly, figuring that they could indeed, with time and as they came. But one thing that couldn't be dealt with so easily was her parents and her self-proclaimed siblings. "It can. But what about family and close friends?"

"What about them?"

"My father's going to throw a fit and do everything within his power to get under your skin and scare you off. Naruto and possibly even Sasuke aren't going to take the news any better. They've developed some pretty irritating older brother complexes when it comes to me and the opposite gender."

He nodded absently, and vaguely she noticed that at some point he'd started that caressing in abstract patterns again on her lower back. It also dawned on her that she still hadn't gotten out of bed. And that they were both still stark naked.

"They will just have to be dealt with as they come as well." He paused, "Are you still sure you don't want a proper wedding."

Yeah, she thought, because that was really going to be the biggest of her problems.

It could be worse, after all, Itachi was more than just really handsome and he could definitely support her, plus he seemed gentlemanly enough and if her still flip-flopping stomach was anything to go by, she was attracted to him on some level.

This had a very good chance of actually working out for a neat happily ever after. Surely, that was worth at least thinking about.

She closed her eyes and leaned forward, nuzzling the side of his neck as she did so. Thinking and deciding could come latter, when she wasn't so comfortable and unwilling to ponder it then. She felt the vibrations of his mirth and guessed that he wasn't about to object to her current opinion on the matter.


	56. 117 Gentle: Helping Hand

**Title:** Moments in Time: A Close Up

**Author:** AppleL0V3R

**Beta-reader:** Terror-Of-The-Crimson-Night

**Fandom:** Naruto

**Pairing:** Uchiha, Itachi and Haruno, Sakura

**Chapter:** Fifty-Six – #117 Gentle: Helping Hand

**Rating:** T

**Type:** One-shot – Complete

**Summary:** Prompts from Moments in Time that I was requested to expand on. 56. 117 – Gentle: Helping Hand. He would always be there for her, making sure no pieces came loose, no matter what.

**Word Count:** 1,425

**Disclaimer:** If you've heard of it before, then it's obviously not mine.

**Note:** As the summary states these were skits I was asked to turn into actually works. I will always put which one it was and the skit just before the chapter. They won't be in numerical order because I'm doing them as I'm requested. They won't be any more than one-shots though they may become two to five –shots (I will forewarn when that happens) but they won't become stories unless I choose to.

**Request by:** Anime Freak456 and an anonymous reviewer

..:Xx0o0xX:..

117. Gentle (Itachi)

He had no problem getting inside her apartment with the 'hidden' key she never told anyone she had – and most of the time didn't remember she had either. Closing and locking the door behind him he found the resident curled on her couch. Her back was to him and she was hugging a pillow to her with one arm, and using the other as a pillow. Her white doctor's coat was in a pile on the floor along with stockings as shoes. Her shirt had ridden up so that her entire midsection could be seen. He knew by the gooseflesh she was cold, she must have been too tired to even get a blanket.

So he quickly retrieved one and tucked it in around her.

With a soft smile and the shake of his head, he laid down beside her and curled around her – just encase. He'd reprimand her later.

..:Xx0o0xX:..

Itachi wasn't the caretaker type, he didn't watch over people, tending to them personally to make sure they got through. He'd figured that was the way things would always be, because the only person he'd looked after individually was his little brother and most of the time the two of them didn't even get along.

But as high school came and before it went, he found that by graduation, he was once more looking after someone. She didn't always need it, but the parentless girl did need someone to see to the small things, making sure she got enough sleep, making sure she didn't overwork herself or maybe that she was eating regularly. The pink haired freshman was always struggling to make ends meet, and more than half the time he stayed back, watching to make sure she did and whenever she didn't, he lent a helping hand. He wasn't sure how she'd become important to him in such a short amount of time, but she had.

At the time he himself had been a senior more than ready to graduate even if it was only the beginning of the year. She'd been in one of his classes, which surprised him because it meant she had to have quite the academic mentality to get into some of the courses as early as freshman year, and he'd inadvertently kept ending up working with her. Even with being a freshman, he'd found himself intrigued by how she processed and approached things, wanting to see what would happen with each situation.

And like a chain reaction, each situation had given him more insight into her thoughts and inevitably, her life. She hadn't seemed to mind letting him pry his way into the machinations of her world, if she noticed at all, but she hadn't let it go without a price. He didn't think it was one she had intended, the pink haired vixen didn't like to demand things of people, rarely even asking unless she found it necessary. But the price had been his intention to oversee and make sure that she got by more than just with the skin of her teeth, that she really truly was well and happy with where she was. And doing so meant giving up his personal free time and patience.

That didn't bother him though, not as he eased into it, not as he realized his intentions for what they were, none of it.

Before he knew it he was in college and finding time to still check in on her. Though by that point she'd started to notice and made it easier on him, calling on an almost daily basis, visiting when she had the money to make the two hour drive to the apartment he was staying at. Itachi wasn't sure how much she'd caught on to, or if she was just doing it out of habit, or for a completely different reason altogether, but it didn't make him any less grateful to be constantly in touch with her.

Eventually, one year turned to a few and getting through the first years of college turned to being in grad school and her in college herself, but their routine didn't change. She called whenever she needed to talk to him or whenever she remembered to, which left him always in the vicinity of his phone. When she was in the area, since her pursuit had taken her further south to a university that had all the courses she needed to get into medicine and more specifically, cardiology, she would visit for as long as she could, opting to crash in his home the entire time rather than get a hotel room. And when he was near her, he did the same.

The small quirk he'd picked up the senior year had turned into something much, much stronger. And though it had taken him until she started to college to speak up about how he felt – enamored, attracted, intrigued – it had turned out for the best as well.

Especially since he was now a high ranking officer in the Tokyo Police Department with her as his pretty pink haired doctor of a fiancé.

The only downside to his job was that he was always in an office, making sure everything got done from the smallest document to putting a mass murderer behind doors. And so he didn't get to be home with that wife of his as much as he'd like, his only constellation being that she spent just as much time in doors because of her job.

Between their demanding jobs, they'd found the best time to spend together was mornings. Neither one had to be to work until nearly ten most mornings. Unless one of them had been kept overnight, as was happening more frequently as of late because of the wedding that was just around the corner.

Sighing almost tiredly to himself, he padded down the hall, stopping before the door he wanted. He had no problem getting inside her apartment with the 'hidden' key she never told anyone she had – and most of the time didn't remember she had either. Closing and locking the door behind him he found the resident curled on her couch. Her back was to him and she was hugging a pillow to her with one arm, and using the other as a pillow. Her white doctor's coat was in a pile on the floor along with stockings as shoes. Her shirt had ridden up so that her entire midsection could be seen. He knew by the gooseflesh she was cold, she must have been too tired to even get a blanket when she got home the night before.

So he quickly retrieved one and tucked it in around her.

With a soft smile and the shake of his head, he laid down beside her and curled his body around hers, his legs bending to fit the backs over hers and his arms finding a comfortable spot around her waist and lastly his head resting in the crook of her neck. He'd told her time and again not to fall asleep on the couch, but that could wait until later when they were both awake and moving about. Sable eyes disappeared behind the thin layer of flesh that was his eyelids as he shifted a little to pull her back more fully against his chest before another sigh – this one softer, more content – slipped from his lips. He nuzzled her neck and was rewarded with a 'night, 'Tachi' mumbled from his petite wife-to-be. Smiling, he let sleep claim him.


	57. 119 February: Two

**Title:** Moments in Time: A Close Up

**Author:** AppleL0V3R

**Beta-reader:** Terror-Of-The-Crimson-Night

**Fandom:** Naruto

**Pairing:** Uchiha, Itachi and Haruno, Sakura

**Chapter:** Fifty-Seven – #119 February: Two.

**Rating:** T

**Type:** One-shot – Complete

**Summary:** Prompts from Moments in Time that I was requested to expand on. 57. 119 – February: Two. Itachi realizes that though they are both young, he's going to need her and her parent's approval.

**Word Count:** 3,005

**Disclaimer:** If you've heard of it before, then it's obviously not mine.

**Note:** As the summary states these were skits I was asked to turn into actually works. I will always put which one it was and the skit just before the chapter. They won't be in numerical order because I'm doing them as I'm requested. They won't be any more than one-shots though they may become two to five –shots (I will forewarn when that happens) but they won't become stories unless I choose to.

**Request by:** Anime Freak456 and theonesakura

..:Xx0o0xX:..

119. February (Itachi)

The second month of the year.

Itachi is seven now. Sasuke's got his mother's full attention and Fugaku already has too many expectations pilling up and the first one is mastery of the Sharingan. Itachi knew that no matter what he achieved, it would never be enough, that this was only the beginning. He'd become a genin, next would be chunin, after that ANBU – not even jonin. What made it easier was that little pink haired toddler who was attached to him the moment he was in her sights, and admittedly he'd done his best to make those moments as frequent as possible. His parents hadn't noticed, though he was pretty sure hers had. But they seemed to approve.

Good, he'd need that for later.

..:Xx0o0xX:..

Two years and a month passed, but it was not without progress or events. Itachi's attention though, was divided, more focused on his career than the small girl he'd held as a baby. But that would only be logical as he was nearing graduation, becoming a genin. On top of that he knew that Fugaku, though the man probably meant well, had already begun to plan out the rest of the young boy's life. He resented that fact, but since he was still only seven, he knew he couldn't change it but he did have the time and patience to at least try.

In the meantime, he kept an eye on his still young brother. The boy was learning fast, quicker to pick on the necessary basics than most, though the older boy knew he, himself, learned at an even faster rate, he treasured that his brother had already found a common balance. He learned just quick enough to keep up and still keep his innocence intact. The dark eyed boy wondered how long that would last, a while he hoped. Especially with their mother sheltering and guiding the youngest the way the elders hadn't allowed her to do for Itachi.

But mostly, he has taken to looking after the pink haired girl who had begun to be a large part of his world. She's still a mere toddler, but that makes him even more inclined to staying around her as much as he can. He likes her company, even if she still can't speak properly.

That was in an experience in and of itself for Itachi to go through, the first one when she started walking and the second when she could put sentences together. Somewhere in the back of his mind he'd known that he should have paid more close attention to his own brother, but his mother loved to spoil the boy and so he preferred to stay in the doorway like his father and simply watch the interactions. That's what made Sakura different; it wasn't like that for him whenever she was around. The toddler would go wide-eyed and giggle as she did her best to get to his side. All throughout her infancy and first year of life, she would reach for him, always wanting to be in the circle of his arms after that first time in his kitchen.

Sakura had begun walking as young as seven months old, and it had been more because he had just come into her room after a day at the academy. He was supposed to be getting home, but with her house on the way, he'd started to make a habit of visiting for at least a few minutes every time he passed. Her parents were used to him, so used to him, they had informed him of the place where they hid the spare key so that he could let himself in should they not be home. And at that time, they had been home. Koko had been in the kitchen, in the middle of making lunch and Kano was in the living room reading some papers.

_One Year and Ten Months Ago_

_Haruno Residence_

"_Itachi, hello." Koko greeted as he entered, she threw a smile over her shoulder._

_He nodded back, offering the smallest of smiles in turn._

"_How was your day?"_

"_Good, Iruka-sensei started the class on kunai knife handling."_

_Magenta eyes blinked with surprise, "Wow, so soon?"_

_He paused, tilting his head slightly as he contemplated a proper answer to that. These two weren't his parents and he knew his words and actions didn't need to be so guarded, but that didn't mean he wanted to worry them either. "Not throwing or anything, but simply feeling the weight of them and how sharp they are. Nothing dangerous, Iruka-sensei says that won't be until much later when he's sure we won't accidently hurt ourselves."_

_That seemed to placate the mother as she nodded, her smile bigger now. "I'm sure you're doing well." There was a slight pause, "Do you think you're doing well?"_

_The question didn't throw him as it had just three months before. Sakura's parents had been the first to ask how he, himself, felt about something or how he thought he was doing, what he wanted. He was certain that with parents like them, the pink haired baby would grow up well and strong, her morals and wishes balanced to the point of being almost idealistic. But of course, he knew that she could end up growing up not so well as well, however he didn't foresee such an outcome and he didn't want to let something like that happen either. _

"_I think I'm doing well, but it could be better."_

_She nodded again, her smile softer. He knew what was going through her head, and had it been anyone else he would have taken offense, but he knew that she meant no offense by her actions. Koko simply didn't like the idea of him growing so fast and unlike his own mother was more than willing to show it without intentionally making him uncomfortable over the matter. "That good to hear, I hope you meet your own expectations, Itachi."_

_He nodded to her once more, "Thank you, I do as well."_

_She hummed, finally turning back to what she was doing before he entered, "Sakura should be in her crib."_

_Black eyes didn't even blink as he smiled his thanks, knowing she would be able to tell his reaction without needing to see it, and then he was off. Heading out of the kitchen and down the hallway, passing the living room where Kano was reading some documents as he did so. The young heir paused once more, leaning against the doorframe as he did so. "Hello, sir."_

_Blue eyes flicked up from where they'd been focused, a smile instantly filling them as a large more visible one settled on the older man's lips. "Itachi, how was your day?"_

"_It was well, thank you for asking. And your own?"_

_He ruffled his messy blue hair as he seemed to contemplate a suitable answer, "A lot of paperwork, but it comes with the territory. Are you staying for long?"_

_The child tilted his head, black hair swaying with the motion before he shook his head, "No, my parents will be expecting me home soon enough."_

_This got a nod of understanding. The couple already knew what kind of situation Itachi was already in and were more than understanding, offering their home as a reprieve when he needed it. For that he would be forever grateful to the pair. It was also encouraging that they allowed him as much time with their daughter as he wanted and didn't object. He knew that if he were to continue his association with the girl, he was going to need their support so that it wouldn't be so hard to keep in touch with the rosette._

"_Well, then I suggest you hurry before Sakura completely falls asleep."_

_Again he inclined his head, once more turning to continue to his destination. He'd been in this house so much that he knew it just as well as he knew his own, perhaps even better because he had reason to not simply stay in one room or one part of the building. So he easily crossed the distance of the hallway, stopping at the last door on the left that he knew to be the one he wanted. He reached out for the doorknob, turning it and pushing the wooden door open as he did so, he entered and closed the door behind him before focusing on the scene before him. It made him pause for the third time in less than ten minutes._

_Little Sakura wasn't in her bed like she usually would be at this time of day and she hadn't glanced at the door when he entered like she normally would have. This was because the baby girl was focused on keeping her feet under her as she tried to stand on wobbly feet. Instinct urged him to go to her, stay behind her so that if she fell – and he knew she would – it would be on her face. But logic told him it would be better to sit in the chair near the bed that was only a few feet from her so that he could observe, allowing her to make her own mistakes. She would learn better and faster that way, and he knew she was determined to get walking down. _

_She'd been working on it daily for the past few weeks, when she'd first tugged herself to her small feet he'd been surprised and unable to take his eyes off of her, now he was used to simply presiding over her in contentment. _

_But this time around, instead of going to that chair like he was wont to, he went in the opposite direct and sat himself down almost several baby steps from the girl and faced her. When he was settled comfortably and he knew he had her attention – he always had her complete attention because he was fairly certain the little girl liked him, if how her big green eyes brightened and she giggled with delight was any indication – he extended both arms out as far as the would go, showing her that he wanted her to come to him. _

_Those eyes, so full of life and curiosity blinked at him only once before she giggled again and nodded empathically as if to show him she understood what he wanted from her. And so she hummed and grunted as she focused back on her feet, clearly urging them to do as she told them to. When she was on them, still wobbly and unstable she picked up one and promptly fell flat on her face._

_It took all of his control not to dart to his feet and come to her side, make sure the girl was okay and could indeed try again. He reminded himself that he should stay still and let her figure out for herself, the rosette was strong and something like that wouldn't make her cry. True to his knowledge, she got short arms under and started pushing into a sitting position. When she was there, she once more begin the process of standing. Back on her feet, this time she tried sliding her foot forward a bit, and it caused her to wobble even more than usual before she ultimately feel back on her bottom. _

_This time she huffed, looking slightly confused and perplexed as she did so. He stayed where he was, arms still outstretched. He give her a smile, feeling his eyes soften as he did so, "Come, Sakura." _

_Green eyes met his and he knew she understood that this was his way of encouraging the girl child to keep trying. Bobbing her head slightly, she got back to her feet, this time instead of looking at her feet and concentrating on that she locked her gaze on his black one. And when she took her first step, it was severely unbalanced but she got her foot off the ground and back on it without falling down. Clearly empowered, she tried again with her other foot, she stumbled slightly but got her foot back on the ground in front of the other one._

_He couldn't help the proud feeling that swelled as he watched her wobble and stumble, but ultimately take her first steps without the added help of anything or anyone. The pretty little girl was indeed a fast learner, she just needed the space and support to remember that she could do it if she simply put her mind to it._

_When she was a few small steps away, her legs had clearly decided that they'd had enough of one session of learning to walk and simply gave out at the knees. She pitched forward, straight into his waiting arms. Once her body was between his hands, he quickly placed them in a steadying motion on her waist, but instead of simply keeping her in place, Itachi pulled the small girl into his lap until her head was pillowed on his chest._

_She giggled happily again, small chubby hands grasping his shirt just as they had that first time he held her. _

_He secured one arm under her bottom and urged her to wrap her legs around him which she did without hesitation. Confident that he had a good hold on her and she on him, he stood with her clinging to him happily. He knew that Koko and Kano would not be as happy as their only child if they did not get to see the girl take her first steps when she was still learning. So instead of going home like he was supposed to, he spent the next half hour watch the girl child try to get the hang of walking, all the while feeling ridiculously proud that her first steps had been towards him. _

Present Day

Haruno Residence

That particular event had been monumental for more than the simple reason that she had begun to learn to walk. But for Itachi, it had been the point when he realized that this little one was everything he needed. She was still so young and didn't understand what he was going through, but just being in the vicinity of her, watching her, holding her, it soothed him like nothing else could. It was like she was the calm not before the storm but in the eye of it, when it was a whirlwind about him but as long as she was there, it that didn't seem to matter.

It was also the point where he realized that no matter what happened, as long as he intended to do everything he could to help and support Sakura, her parents were more than willing to let him monopolize their daughter's time and affections.

It was a kind of support that he had a feeling that years, perhaps even more than a decade, down the road he would need, and he was glad he had it at his fingertips. Just like her.

Black eyes watched the toddler smile at him, toddling forward as swiftly as her short legs would take her and her equally short arms reached out to him much the way he had to her when she first learned to walk. "'ta-hi!"

He huffed softly, but smiled back as he once more enunciated his name. "I-ta-chi." For some reason the green eyed girl just did not like pronouncing the first syllable or the 'ch' sound in his name, preferring the a breath 'h' to make it more 'hee' than a 'chi' like it was supposed to be. Something told him, when they were older he she was still going to be calling him that. But he couldn't say he minded all that much.

She nodded emphatically at him, "'ta-hi." Sakura stopped at his side, little arms still outstretched so that he would see she wanted to held, like always. "Pick me up, pwease?" And she proceeded to try to make her already large eyes a little bit bigger.

This time he couldn't help but laugh and shake his head at her antics, "First, pronunciation. You know my name, try saying the whole thing."

"Then you pick me up?"

He paused, then nodded, "Then I will pick you up."

She pursed her lips in that way that he knew meant she was concentrating, jumbling it out in her mind so that she would get it right on her tongue. "'ta, er, Ita – um Ita-h, no." She huffed slightly, pouting as she couldn't seem to get it right like she wanted to. "Ita-ki. Ita…"

"Chi." The young boy inserted, intent on being helpful, even if it was amusing and adorable to see her so focused on saying his name of all things.

She nodded, "Ita…chi."

And just like that he swooped down and pulled her up into his arms, letting her legs go around his waist and her hands find fistfuls of his shirt at his shoulder blades as he did so. "There you go, Sa-ku-ra."

She smiled happily, "I-ta-chi."


	58. 120 Writer's Choice: Hiccup

**Title:** Moments in Time: A Close Up

**Author:** AppleL0V3R

**Beta-reader:** Terror-Of-The-Crimson-Night

**Fandom:** Naruto

**Pairing:** Uchiha, Itachi and Haruno, Sakura

**Chapter:** Fifty-Eight – #120 Writer's Choice: Hiccup

**Rating:** T

**Type:** One-shot – Complete

**Summary:** Prompts from Moments in Time that I was requested to expand on. 58. 120 – Writer's Choice: Hiccup. Not for the first time, he was reminded how odd the pink haired woman was.

**Word Count:** 1,325

**Disclaimer:** If you've heard of it before, then it's obviously not mine.

**Note:** As the summary states these were skits I was asked to turn into actually works. I will always put which one it was and the skit just before the chapter. They won't be in numerical order because I'm doing them as I'm requested. They won't be any more than one-shots though they may become two to five –shots (I will forewarn when that happens) but they won't become stories unless I choose to.)

**Request by:** Anime Freak456 and an anonymous reviewer

..:Xx0o0xX:..

120. Writer's Choice (Itachi)

When he found her, she was glaring at a glass of water as if it was the most hated thing in the world. Surprisingly, the sight didn't perturb him, intrigued and amused him yes, but didn't bother him. It was almost disturbing how used to her doing things like this that he was.

He tilted his head slightly as he approached, "What did it do to deserve such a look?"

She didn't even glance at him, her eyes completely fixated on the liquid container.

He couldn't help the amusement he felt as it mingled with exasperation at her antics. "Sakura." He settled beside her.

Hiccup. Green eyes hardened, "It gave me hiccups, damn it." – Hiccup. – "And it now it won't take them away."

He laughed.

..:Xx0o0xX:..

Haruno, Sakura, Itachi had decided, was one of the most unique people he had ever met. She wasn't unique in a bad way, she was simple different because she didn't follow the crowd and had enough sense of how to make her own choices. But the girl did have pink hair and grin eyes and though she was a doctor she was most certainly prone to violent tendencies and a short temper. But that wasn't the extent of what made the young woman who she was. It was in fact, the little things that made her so unique.

Like right now for example.

Itachi had been looking for his girlfriend because he had just gotten home from a long day of work and wanted to find his little lover. Her very touch had the ability to soothe his nerves and make his day brighter; it was one of the many reasons why he planned to marry her as soon as his clan got off his case about him intending to spend the rest of his life with a 'commoner'. Not that he cared all too much what her background was; it was the girl that mattered. But it didn't hurt that he liked being apart of her family life as well, her parents were lively people who were inviting and affectionate and it was all too easy to see where Sakura got it from.

After having kicked his shoes off at the door and putting his things on the couch, knowing that he'd tend to them later, he tugged the tie at his neck until it was at a more breathable place and headed for the living room. He didn't find her there though, or in his bedroom and the shower wasn't running. He didn't smell anything from the kitchen and she wasn't the fondest of the formal dinning room, so he was almost tempted to turn and make sure her car really was in the driveway like he though it was. But he was certain he had seen it and he remembered her telling him that she would be home before him today, so she had to be somewhere.

Finally, when he had checked all the rooms in the house he checked out back, smiling when he spotted her pink hair.

However, at a closer look he realized she was glaring at a glass of water as if it was the most hated thing in the world. Surprisingly, the sight didn't perturb him, intrigued and amused him yes, but didn't bother him. It was almost disturbing how used to her doing things like this that he was. And served to further prove his point about how different she could be from the world with these little telling actions.

He tilted his head slightly as he approached, "What did it do to deserve such a look?"

She didn't even glance at him, her eyes completely fixated on the liquid container.

He couldn't help the amusement he felt as it mingled with exasperation at her antics. "Sakura." He settled beside her.

Hiccup. Green eyes hardened, "It gave me hiccups, damn it." – Hiccup. – "And it now it won't take them away."

He laughed. Of course, how simple. He knew she didn't actually despise it; hate and loathing weren't emotions that she was capable without a lot provocation and sometimes not even then. But she clearly didn't like it, even if the problem was not truly the inanimate object's fault.

Her pretty eyes turned on him with halfhearted irritation, a smile clearly beneath the surface. Itachi knew for a fact that she loved to see him laugh, loved to hear and feel it too. And that fact alone was probably why even though he was laughing at her expense she didn't seem to mind all that much. She opened her mouth to say something but a hiccup was the only thing that came out followed closely by an irked huff.

Still not bothering to hide his amusement, he reached out for the glass before her and easily removed it from her wrath. The Uchiha proceeded to scoot closer to the small woman, wrapping an arm around her midsection as he did so. She didn't protest when he pulled her closer, but she did make a noise that was somewhere between surprise and curiosity as he pressed on her upper back until he was sure she was seeing the world almost upside-down. Then he handed the glass back to her and told her to drink it. It seemed almost unorthodox for a method but it was one that his own mother had instructed both he and Sasuke to do whenever they had a case of the hiccups, and it worked every time.

Sakura shot him a curious look and a raised eyebrow but complied all the same. However she managed to splash a bit of water on her when she tried to drink from the glass normally rather than in adjusted way to her upside down position. She huffed, cursing softly under her breath, hiccupped and tried again; this time she tried to drink from the bottom side where the water had initially spilled out. Itachi knew it wasn't easy and was odd to use one's lower lip with the tongue in the way rather than normally way of using the upper lip and keeping the pink appendage underneath the glass so liquid didn't escape. Not to mention trying to swallow against gravity rather than with it.

But the young woman managed and after a few gulps sat upright and shook her head. She waited for a long moment but now hiccups were forthcoming. It earned him both a happy smile and sweet kiss from his pretty little wife-to-be.

Oh she was unique alright, and there more things he could think of that made her that way, but in the end he was always satisfied and happy in her presence, relaxed with her leaning against him and absolutely sure he loved her each time the even so much as kissed. After all it was all the little things that mattered, and hers made her quirky, adorable and above all, his.


	59. 65 Costume: True to Form

**Title:** Moments in Time: A Close Up

**Author:** AppleL0V3R

**Beta-reader:** Terror-Of-The-Crimson-Night

**Fandom:** Naruto

**Pairing:** Uchiha, Itachi and Haruno, Sakura

**Chapter:** Fifty-Nine – #65 Costume: True to Form

**Rating:** T

**Type:** One-shot – Complete

**Summary:** Prompts from Moments in Time that I was requested to expand on. 59. 65 – Costume: True to Form. Itachi realizes belatedly that his interests are going to get him into a lot of trouble.

**Word Count:** 1,575

**Disclaimer:** If you've heard of it before, then it's obviously not mine.

**Note:** As the summary states these were skits I was asked to turn into actually works. I will always put which one it was and the skit just before the chapter. They won't be in numerical order because I'm doing them as I'm requested. They won't be any more than one-shots though they may become two to five –shots (I will forewarn when that happens) but they won't become stories unless I choose to.

I'm of the opinion that this one needs some kind of sequel or something. What do you guys think? If not, I'll leave it be.

**Request by:** Kimiko-oneechan

..:Xx0o0xX:..

65. Costume (Itachi)

Itachi abhorred parties.

Especially one's held by his family. And even worse they were usually masquerade balls. But he could never seem to find an adequate enough reason to get out of it and so he was always stuck helping set everything up and entertain the guests.

There was rarely anything that made it bearable, except this time.

She grabbed his attention. He watched her mingle her way through, long pink hair pulled back in a simple styled braid. She wore a long flowing dress, one that he recognized from a class he'd taken. It was a shrine maiden's attire when attending a social gathering and it fit her quiet well. She seemed confident in her strides but kept to herself.

This could be interesting.

..:Xx0o0xX:..

Itachi abhorred parties.

Especially one's held by his family. And even worse they were usually masquerade balls. But he could never seem to find an adequate enough reason to get out of it and so he was always stuck helping set everything up and entertain the guests. And this time was no different, he'd known it was coming but had nothing he could use so that he wouldn't have to be in attendance. Not for lack of trying either, his ka-chan was just really good at thwarting perceived attempts and his father just as good at seeing though half-truths and full out lies.

Which left him at stuck and irritated. And perhaps even a little cranky to boot, but he knew only his parents and maybe Sasuke would catch that, and under normal circumstance he would be thankful. Under these, it just meant that his stern father would shoot him that look or his pretty mother would warn him lightly and subtly. And Sasuke would do his best just to make Itachi even more irate.

So like he always did, he resigned himself to the inevitable and did his best to make himself unapproachable and to talk as little as possible. The ball dragged like it always did, all the people did was dance and gossip about things that usually weren't their business. The pass time of nobles.

Of course, he knew he would never be able to get out of even one of these for the simple fact that he was the heir to his family. He would be expected to take over after his father, he would be expected to head the Uchiha family and part of that was knowing how to entertain and host events. Since it was a good way to observe the other families and create ties and to show off status. But even if he did recognize the importance of them, he did not like them in the least and so he knew he would still do his damndest to get out of them.

After breaking away from a circle of particularly loud people he set to the task of getting off the main floor and to one of the upper ones that overlooked the ballroom, there would be less people and the few that were would be the more quiet types. He reasoned that he'd done enough mingling to last a lifetime, anyway.

These events were simply not bearable, and very rarely did he come across anything them that made them even the slightest bit worth it. However, as he was climbing a portion of the stairs, he cast a glance out over the room and stopped just as he'd set his foot on the next step as his eyes centered on one person in particular.

He was faintly surprised that it was a woman, considering nearly all of the ones in his life tended towards conniving, shy or irritating. He watched her mingle her way through, long pink hair pulled back in a simple styled braid. She wore a long flowing dress, one that he recognized from a class he'd taken. It was a shrine maiden's attire when attending a social gathering and it fit her quiet well. She seemed confident in her strides but kept to herself.

This could be interesting after all.

More than a little intrigued, he turned and headed back for the main floor, easily weaving through the crowd until he was all but beside her. "Hello." In the back of his mind he registered that this had to be one of the first times he was willing initiating a conversation at one of these family events.

The woman paused, blinking with surprise before nodding to him. "Hello to you, too." Her voice was devoid of any accent at all, not even a hint of one, which meant that this language was not her first or that she had not grown up in this area. He wondered which one it was, or perhaps it was both. No matter which one it was, that just made her all the more interesting. It made him hope that the woman herself would not be as dull and short sided as most of the others in this room. But if she truly was a shrine maiden, then surely there had to be more to her than there were to the nobles he was constantly surrounded by.

"I was unaware that shrine maidens still existed."

Green eyes quickly turned guarded, her shoulders tensing just the slightest. "And I was not aware that people still knew of us."

Itachi tipped his head slightly, "Times are changing. Religion and spiritualism is taking a backseat to science and politics."

This time, his words had earned him an almost rueful smile, "Yes, that is certainly true. But it does not mean my job is any different, no matter what the reputation of miko has become."

He nearly blinked his eyes in surprise at that statement. But of course she was aware of what miko were associated with this day and age, after all they were most didn't seem them any better than harlots and if she was a traveler than she must have been on the receiving end of that perspective more than a few times. He wondered if it was true for her, even if she did keep to her 'duty'. "Oh? Then you were raised with the original reasons for miko?"

Her pink head bobbed slightly, "I was. And believe it or not, I still practice what I was taught, because it is still necessary."

He frowned, but at least he had his answer. She was clearly proud of her profession and wouldn't be degraded by anyone in such a way. But it also meant that she wasn't exactly sane either. "Demons don't exist."

The woman's green eyes didn't seem to chance but he had the feeling that they had just sharpened, turning almost sardonic as they did so. "I never said they did."

Now she was talking in circles. But he had to admit, she had kept up with the outward look she exuded, "That is the purpose of miko, is it not?"

Again she smiled, this one a bit mischievous and secretive. "According to the legends, sure."

"But not in reality."

She hummed amiably.

More than a little interesting then, it didn't make him any less confused as to where she was going with it and that in turn made him curious as to who she was and what she was doing here. Not just in the budding nation of modern Japan either, but at this specific masquerade ball. "You're not going to say anymore."

"And you prefer to make statements rather than questions." He could see her amusement plain as day in her green eyes and if he wasn't mistaken a similar interest reflected.

He decided that it wouldn't hurt to give her at least a smirk for all her efforts, even if he was certain her aim wasn't to please. "In that case, would you like something to drink?"

Now those emerald like eyes blinked, he'd taken her by surprise. It didn't take even a moment for her to recover herself and she chuckled quietly, "You know, I think I'd like that very much. And maybe I can turn this little interrogation back on you."

Itachi merely smiled. He still didn't like parties, but this was going to be more than bearable and maybe the next one after that, depending on how long she stayed.


	60. 70 Heart: Doodle

**Title:** Moments in Time: A Close Up

**Author:** AppleL0V3R

**Beta-reader:** Terror-Of-The-Crimson-Night

**Fandom:** Naruto

**Pairing:** Uchiha, Itachi and Haruno, Sakura

**Chapter:** Sixty – #70 Heart: Doodle

**Rating:** T

**Type:** One-shot – Complete

**Summary:** Prompts from Moments in Time that I was requested to expand on. 60. 70 – Heart: Doodle. Teenager or adult, Sakura was still female, and hormonal and a hopeless romantic.

**Word Count:** 1,610

**Disclaimer:** If you've heard of it before, then it's obviously not mine.

**Note:** As the summary states these were skits I was asked to turn into actually works. I will always put which one it was and the skit just before the chapter. They won't be in numerical order because I'm doing them as I'm requested. They won't be any more than one-shots though they may become two to five –shots (I will forewarn when that happens) but they won't become stories unless I choose to.

My intention had been light hearted. Honest. I have no idea how it turned out like this, it just did.

**Warning: **Sexual themes towards the end, nothing explicit merely suggested.

**Request by:** Anime Freak456 and Kimiko-oneechan

* * *

70. Heart (Sakura)

There were multiple hearts around the names of yet another worn page. And though Sakura groaned as she continued to flip through her journals from so long ago, his smirk merely got wider. Of course it did, she realized, this was both amusing and plenty of ammo to use against both her and Sasuke.

Why did she decide to look through these with him here? That was stupidity in and of itself on her part.

She shot him a glare. Then let her face melt into a mischievous smile and teasing eyes. "You're not worried, Itachi?"

He glanced at her then tugged one of her current journals out, flipping to the last page. It was the same except the names were different, "Why should I?"

* * *

The young woman blinked down at the box's contents. She couldn't believe it; did she really still have those? All those journals and papers and notebooks, she thought she'd gotten ride of them before she went to college. Apparently not. Because here they were, old and dusty and probably haven't seen the light of day since she was in middle school, and that was at least fifteen years ago.

Curiosity kicked in, and she figured 'why not'? Why not check out what she'd written in between light blue margins so long ago? She knew that it would be almost like looking at someone else's diary, after all, she'd looked at things she'd written less than five years before and she'd wondered out how she'd been thinking at the given time and if that really was her own handwriting.

Which meant she'd been in for a real treat with reading this.

Now was a good a time as any, since she was unpacking all of her belongings into Itachi's home. No, _their_ home. It would take a little to get used to that, to the fact that he really was hers, that they were married and living together. Oh life was so, so good right then. And she didn't see why she shouldn't take a look into her own teenage mind. Sakura settled herself into a more comfortable position, crisscrossing her legs and letting her shoulders slump in a relaxed way, before she reached inside and grabbed the notebook on top.

It was hot pink – and the one bellow it was also a definite pink though more of a pastel like her hair – with the standard seventy pages and metal rings. In the top right corner, her name was written in a scrawl that she was sure she would have thought was neat back then. Dimly she thought about how the bubbled letters came later, towards the end of junior high. Ignoring the idle thought she brought the notebook closer to her chest, dusting it off with her hand before she flipped it open to the first page.

Green eyes blinked once more in surprise, she'd known that she would think her writing horrendous but she hadn't thought it would be this bad. And the words were all over the place with different colors and some letters with circles like 'a's and 'b's were shaded in with no really rhyme or reason. And she hadn't even started reading yet. She hesitated a moment, wondering if this really a good idea. Sure she had time, but if this was from the grade and time she thought it was, then it would be full of –

"Is that hearts around my otouto's name?"

If she could have, she would have jumped out of her skin as she whipped around as fast as she could to find her husband standing behind her. His expression was a cross between amused, curious and perturbed as he eyed the inside front cover. Sakura took a deep breath to slow her heart back to a normal pace, now that she knew how had snuck up on her. Well, not actually snuck up since Itachi didn't sneak, he was just naturally quiet and it was her fault for being so absorbed in her thoughts anyway.

She huffed lightly and turned back to the box and looked down at the notebook. And indeed, right there were multiple hearts around her name and Sasuke's of yet another worn page. It crossed her mind to worry since she was pretty sure her too pretty spouse didn't know that all the way until high school she had crushed horribly on her best friend. Though, back then they had hardly known each other, in fact they didn't even start having real conversations and spending time together until after she was over him.

Sakura groaned as she continued to flip through her journal, page after page proving her infatuation. She almost shut the thing and was tempted to find a lighter when she came across two pages side by side that were dedicated to Valentine's Day. How embarrassing and she could _see_ his smirk getting wider, hell she could feel it. But of course it was, she realized, this was both amusing and plenty of ammo to use against both her and Sasuke. And no matter how much her spouse loved her and his brother, he had no qualms about holding this over their heads for eternity.

Why did she decide to look through these with him right there? That was stupidity in and of itself on her part. And to keep looking? Even worse.

She shot him a halfhearted glare only to earn herself an amused expression, his black eyes laughing in that way of his that always made her melt even if it was at her expense. But that didn't mean he was going to get the last laugh in this one, or in anything really. She let her face smooth into a mischievous smile and teasing eyes. "You're not worried, Itachi?"

He glanced at her then tugged one of her current journals out, not even needing to flip forward because it had the same thing except the hearts surrounded Itachi's name, "Why should I?"

Sakura grumbled under her breath about self assured husbands who should just leave her alone.

"You asked." The rosette didn't even need to look in his direction to know he was smirking that sexy smirk of his that always got him his way.

"Cheater."

Arms wrapped around her waist legs came into view as he settled his feet so that his heels were tucked into her still crossed shins and his legs were bent at the knee. She felt his the familiar weight of his chin on her shoulder, "I don't need to." His voice was soft and low as each breath puffed warmly against her neck. She shivered and just knew that he'd smiled triumphantly at her reaction.

"Jerk." She muttered again, but twisted around all the same, tossing the pink notebook aside – deciding that she'd be okay with never reading the darn thing so long as Itachi didn't – as she did so. In her maneuvering she uncrossed her legs and put them on both sides of his hip in much the same position he had put his in moments before, she proceeded to wrap her arms around him. "But you're my jerk." She felt him shudder as she spoke nearly against his lips, not really touching, the same way her chest was almost a centimeter away but not quite. Because she knew it agitated him when she did this, and if he got to ruffle her feathers whenever he so pleased then she didn't see why she couldn't as well.

But she'd been right, he was smiling at her, though this one held an underlying context that got her blood flowing. In the back of her mind she knew she should pull back rather than tease him, because if she kept it up he would get what he wanted until he was satisfied. And they still had unpacking to do.

He hummed, leaning forward to kiss her lightly once, "Just like" twice "you're my" thrice "spitfire."

This earned him a laugh as he continued his butterfly kisses, and tangled her fingers in his hair when he moved across the line of her check to her jaw and from there down the line of her neck. But as he went they gradually got heavier, hotter and the voice in the back of her mind that side they really should move this to the bedroom was silenced when he got to slight indent between her collar bones.

On second thought, she was going to keep those journals.


	61. 101 Car: Two am

**Title:** Moments in Time: A Close Up

**Author:** AppleL0V3R

**Beta-reader:** Terror-Of-The-Crimson-Night

**Fandom:** Naruto

**Pairing:** Uchiha, Itachi and Haruno, Sakura

**Chapter:** Sixty-One – #101 Car: Two AM.

**Rating:** T

**Type:** One-shot – Complete

**Summary:** Prompts from Moments in Time that I was requested to expand on. 61. 101 – Car: Two AM. He'd always be there for her, that's what friends were for. The problem was – he didn't want to just be friends.

**Word Count:** 2,170

**Disclaimer:** If you've heard of it before, then it's obviously not mine.

**Note:** As the summary states these were skits I was asked to turn into actually works. I will always put which one it was and the skit just before the chapter. They won't be in numerical order because I'm doing them as I'm requested. They won't be any more than one-shots though they may become two to five –shots (I will forewarn when that happens) but they won't become stories unless I choose to.

Is it obvious I didn't right this in one sitting? I wrote the end of it in the late hours of the night and it ended up taking on a life of it's own so my apologies if this wasn't the ending you were expecting. I certainly didn't plan it.

Also, I'm realy, really sorry for my long absence, I have no viable excuse or explanation other than I just did not feel like writing. But with school around the corner, hopefully that will change.

**Request by:** Anime Freak456 and Kimiko-oneechan

* * *

101. Car (Itachi)

Itachi pulled the car to a halt by the curb and waited.

He'd gotten her call at two A.M., and he hadn't been happy about it. But he'd gotten out of bed all the same because had been her on the other end of the line. Sakura had sounded scared and in near hysterics, but even if she hadn't he still would have picked her up the only difference is he hurried this time.

It was a wonder how the two of them could be so close and not be dating because he most certainly did not think of her as sister and knew she didn't think of him that way either.

She was quickly in the passenger seat, door slamming behind her.

He watched her for a moment, making sure she was alright as she settled. Finally, she looked at him and smiled shakily, "Thanks, Itachi. I owe you."

* * *

Groaning quietly, Itachi rolled over, trying to block out the sound of his phone. There was no way it was morning already so he was not going to get up, not even if his ringtone kept playing. Wait, ringtone? Groaning again, he rolled back over and reached blindly for the device that was disturbing his sleep quite rudely. When he found it, he pressed the green phone button and pulled it to his ear, "What?" He tried to be polite about it, but he liked his sleep not disturbed and – he glanced at the clock – he definitely didn't like being woken up at one-thirty-eight in the morning by anybody.

"Itachi?" Her voice was quite and he could clearly hear the shake in it. The young Uchiha jackknifed in his bed.

"Sakura, what's wrong?" She was not the type of person to call at such an hour and especially not sounding as scared and on edge as she did.

There was a pause, "Can you come get me?"

Panic rose, threatening to latch on to his insides and squeeze them to mush. What in the world was she doing outside at this time? But even as his mind raced at the possibilities, he pushed them aside because they weren't priority. Making sure she was safe and sound was. And just like that, he was out of bed and pulling on pants and a t-shirt as he hurried out of the room, "Where are you?" Where had he left his keys? Oh, right, on the table in the front entry. He hurried down the stairs as quietly as he could even as he sandwiched his phone between his ear and shoulder so that he could put on shoes and pull on a jacket before grabbing another.

He promptly forgot about how much noise he was or wasn't making once he had the front door shut. In the same voice she'd been using the enter time, she managed to whisper her location as he slid into the driver's seat and started his car.

Itachi told her firmly that he'd be there in ten minutes and that she should keep talking, or at the very least not hang up. The overwhelming need to know she was okay and would be until he got there was simply too strong and he tried not to make drive too much faster than speed limit or anything else that was technically illegal. And as he'd told her to, she didn't hang up. With a voice slowly becoming steady the more she talked she spoke about anything and everything that came to mind. She mentioned the night sky and the slightly crisp air and even a flickering streetlight down the street. He didn't truly pay attention to what she was saying or even the fact that she was talking, but he did care how it slowed to her normal chatter and the shakiness all but left, though he could still hear her fright.

True to his word, within ten minutes he pulled the car to a halt by the curb and waited.

In less than a minute of him stopping the car she was quickly in the passenger seat, door slamming behind her.

He watched her for a moment, making sure she was alright as she settled. Finally, she looked at him and smiled shakily, "Thanks, Itachi. I owe you."

She owed him a lot, but that wasn't what he was thinking about right at that moment. He was more concerned with what had happened to make the pretty little student like this. Sakura could be so valiant and headstrong sometimes that it was seemed improbable that something could actually shake to the point she was at right then. But she was and he wasn't going to even so much as turn the car on until she told him exactly what had happened. "You do owe me, you owe me an explanation."

Green eyes blinked only once and the smile turned into something that was a cross between relief and exasperated amusement. "Should have known you were going to say that." But she didn't look like she was going to withhold what he was asking for. She never did, never even bothered to lie to him. Because he knew she trusted him and even in a way relied on him, even if it was to simply listen to her or be the silent presence that made sure she didn't fall apart.

And he in turn, never let her down.

"I let Ino talk me into going to a club with her – more so because I didn't want her leaving with some guy or trying to drive home drunk." He nodded once, starting the car as he did so because he could tell that she wasn't going to omit anything. "And well, as it turned out, we ran into one of her ex's and somehow the two of us ended up in the horrible argument, so I ran out of the club." His frown turned to a scowl and he had to resist the urge to not say anything about how she and her best friend were always having such problems. "We took her car, so I avoided the parking lot, didn't even think to pay attention to where I was going." Itachi told himself not to reprimand her, to hold off and broach it later. After she'd settled down somewhat. "When I stopped, I realized I was here and there were some creepy looking guys around and well, you know the rest."

Black eyes stayed steadily on her as he repressed the urge to sigh. Instead, he shifted his gaze back to the rear window as he made sure no other cars were coming even as he started pulling out. The drive back to her place didn't take long, but the silence that he choose to keep stretched it out. He knew not saying anything made her antsy, especially when she confessed to making careless mistakes that get her hurt or put her in danger. But he decided to use the drive time to let him sort out his thoughts on the matter, to figure out exactly what he wanted to say.

When he parked the car in 'his' space in her driveway, he turned to her intending to say what he planned to. But when their eyes met, the same feeling he always got came over him, urging him to throw away all his careful chosen words and simply kiss her. Or at least reach for her. And like always, he refrained from doing either. Instead he forced himself to pay attention to all the details that made her an open book to him. She'd stopped shaking, fidgeting with her folded hands that were in her lap. But her anxiousness was more prominent in her face, as she stared right back at him, eyes shifting in an attempt to figure out what he was thinking.

And suddenly he forgot all the things he wanted to say. All the words that he'd carefully picked so that he wouldn't give himself away.

How long had he been doing this? Right, years.

"Sakura." Immediately green eyes focused, sharp and attentive. But he didn't know what to say next, didn't know what to do next. This wasn't some test, where he could press pause and think it through. This wasn't a meeting or an interview where he already had all the answers.

This was Sakura, the girl he always lost his cool with. The girl that he spent most of his time winging everything he said and did because no amount of planning ever got him to remember anything he wanted to say.

And he was getting tired of trying.

He'd gotten up at two in the morning to pick her up off some street corner. And when she voluntarily told him everything, he felt like comforting her and scolding her. He felt worried and concerned and frustrated and wanted to reach out to make sure that she was really okay.

Was this what friends felt when they did things like this? Was this how he was supposed to act? He wouldn't feel this way for Deidara or Kisame, hell not even Sasuke. He'd known he wanted to always be around her, he knew he wanted her to be happy and he always felt the urge to make her smile and laugh.

Maybe, just maybe…

Pushing down ever bit of logic that said this wasn't a good idea, he reached out, grabbing her shoulder. Her big, doe-like eyes blinked in surprise, but she didn't resist when he pulled her across the consol, didn't protest when he wrapped his arms around her. In fact, she shifted to situate herself in his lap, didn't hesitate to place her hands at the base of his neck. "I was wondering when you'd finally just let yourself wing it."

The words were muffled be the fabric of his shirt that she'd pressed her face into but he still caught it, his body stiffing at the implications. "You planned this." His voice had more accusation in it than he had intended, but the idea that she would set something up like this. It had never crossed his mind.

Mussed pink locks went everywhere when she shook her head, immediately pulling back and finding his eyes. "No." She paused, wincing, "But Ino had been trying to convince into doing something like this."

Relief washed over him at the knowledge that she was exactly the person he thought she was. She wouldn't do this for any reason. He raised an eyebrow, "So she tricked you into it."

Pink lips were pursed when she nodded, looking all at once embarrassed and agitated, "Looks like it, she'd better hope I don't find her tonight."

He couldn't help but chuckle, silently admiring how she could return to being her – feisty, loving, playful – no matter what happened to her. Absently, he brought one of his hands up, tangling it in her hair. "I don't think she'll need to hope."

Leaning down, he felt pure masculine pride surge as he watched her eyes go wide in realization. But she didn't pull away, and she didn't protest when he kissed her.

Why did he wait so long?

Oh right, because he was planning it out. No wonder his subconscious kept throwing all his carefully laid plans when it came to her.

He didn't need any; especially not when he was picking her up from some street corner in the dark hours of the morning.


	62. 110 Shoes: Ground

**Title:** Moments in Time: A Close Up

**Author:** AppleL0V3R

**Beta-reader:** Terror-Of-The-Crimson-Night

**Fandom:** Naruto

**Pairing:** Uchiha Itachi and Haruno Sakura

**Chapter:** Sixty-Two – #110 Shoes: Ground

**Rating:** T

**Type:** One-shot – Complete

**Summary:** Prompts from Moments in Time that I was requested to expand on. 62. 110 – Shoes: Ground. In which Sakura is reminded why she should find proper shoes when hiking.

**Word Count:** 1,920

**Disclaimer:** If you've heard of it before, then it's obviously not mine.

**Note:** As the summary states these were skits I was asked to turn into actually works. I will always put which one it was and the skit just before the chapter. They won't be in numerical order because I'm doing them as I'm requested. They won't be any more than one-shots though they may become two to five –shots (I will forewarn when that happens) but they won't become stories unless I choose to.

**Request by:** Kimiko-oneechan

* * *

110. Shoes (Sakura)

When she placed all of her weight on her foot, the ground beneath it gave way. Her eyes went wide as she lost her footing, panic setting in as she remembered just how high she was from the ground – what a long painful way down the trip would be.

But when she squeezed her eyes shut tight, expecting her body to meet the ground, but it didn't. Suddenly her fall was impeded, something had caught her. No, not some_thing_, some_one_. Letting out a shaky breath, she cautiously opened her eyes, feeling warm hands hold onto her shoulders firmly even though her entire back was against a flat torso. Slowly she tilted her head backward until she caught sight of black eyes.

"You should be careful about where you step, Sakura."

* * *

Haruno Sakura did not like hiking. Sure the view from the top was breathtaking, but by no means was it worth it. However, her best friends did not share the sentiment, if they had their way, she would be outside for at least an hour on a daily basis and not for work, but for fun. And being the workaholic she'd become, the rosette simply did not have that kind of time.

And they'd let it slide, bugged her now and again, complained and tried to persuade but eventually always accepted her 'no' at face value. She'd been happy to have such compassion from them considering how bullheaded they could be sometimes, how _all _of them could be sometimes. Her heart had warmed every time at the thought and she'd thanked them for letting her have her way.

Now she was paying for it. She should have known they'd pull something like this at the first chance they got, but she'd figured since they'd allowed her the exceptions so far they wouldn't. Boy had she been wrong. Ino had gotten Tsunade on her side – with relative ease, too – and so the woman had marched into the young Haruno's office and stated very bluntly that she had the next two weeks off starting the next day and if she saw so much as one pink hair before that time she would extend it. And thus she'd been left to her own devices, miffed and completely unsure of what the hell to do with all this free time suddenly foisted on her. Then she'd made the mistake of telling Naruto and Sasuke about the whole thing, because from there they tag teamed to coax her into an actual vacation, not the sit around the house and relax kind. She decided that having some fun and doing stuff would be a lot more fun and had easily agreed.

So here she was, out in the wilderness and admittedly she did love nature. But more from her backyard than the fresh open – and very, very thin – air of the mountain they'd roped her into climbing.

Which was also probably why they'd saddled her with Itachi. Naruto couldn't take her grumbling for long before he started feeling guilty and offering up an alternative for her. Sasuke simply wouldn't put up with it and so the two of them would either be arguing or splitting up. Ino would grumble right back, leaving both way less than happy and refreshed by the end of the hike. Hinata would take the exact same actions Naruto would but a lot sooner and then Sakura would end up feeling very guilty as well.

Itachi just found her grumbling amusing. Granted it did make Sakura's mood even worse when she realized that nothing she said about the whole ordeal was going to do anything but amuse him. After all, the man had been cornered into this adventure as well, though according to Sasuke had gone a lot more peaceably than she had. It didn't help that he wasn't the type to be give sympathy, let alone be guilt tripped – intentionally or not – into anything. All in all, her closest friends had made the best choice possible by putting her with him. She would end up doing the entire hike and they wouldn't have to deal with repercussions.

And so she grumbled even more.

Thanks to all her grumbling and sidetracked mindset, she wasn't paying attention to her footing all that much. It really shouldn't have surprised her that she placed her foot on a rock that clearly wasn't going to hold her weight. But it did.

When she placed all of her weight on her foot, the ground beneath it gave way. Her eyes went wide as she lost her footing, panic setting in as she remembered just how high she was from the ground – what a long painful way down the trip would be.

But when she squeezed her eyes shut tight, expecting her body to meet the ground, but it didn't. Suddenly, her fall was impeded, something had caught her. No, not some_thing_, some_one_. Letting out a shaky breath, she cautiously opened her eyes, feeling warm hands hold onto her shoulders firmly even though her entire back was against a flat torso. Slowly she tilted her head backward until she caught sight of black eyes.

"You should be careful about where you step, Sakura."

Immediately, she felt her face heat up as she jerked her gaze back to the task before her – trying to move forward and out of the position she'd unintentional just put herself in. But she didn't even make it so much as a step before she stepped on loose gravel, again, and ended up sliding right back into her hiking partner. Mortified, it was all she could do not to curl in on herself at her carelessness. She refused to turn back to him as she managed an 'I'm so sorry, Itachi' followed closely by a 'thank you for catching me.'

This time she kept a close eye on where she was stepping when she moved to put space between her and him.

But she was halted by the feel of a rumble behind her; it vibrated through her back and down her spine, sending little shivers at the pleasant feel of it. It took her a moment to realize that he was laughing.

Flushing even worse, she felt her hair trigger temper which was usually hard to incite spike. The facts that she was still pressed against him, that his hands were still firm weights on her shoulders and that they were much too close right then, were quickly pushed to the back of her mind as she twisted around until they were face-to-face. Those black eyes of his were full of amusement and a few other things; it only served to agitate her further.

Before she could say anything though, he leaned down so that he was mere centimeters away from her. Instead of shying away or being acutely aware of the proximity, she narrowed her eyes. "I don't see any reason for you to apologize."

In the back of her mind, Logic and Reason were screaming for her to move away because the amusement in his eyes was purely predatory. She didn't hesitate to shove them back in favor of kindling her ire. "I do – common courtesy."

He arched one elegant eyebrow, but nodded her reasoning all the same. "I see; I accept you're apology then." For a reason she couldn't fathom, every time he responded she felt agitated and intrigued at the same time. Curious to know how he would respond to other, less appropriate, comments. And agitated because he was so flawless about it.

She couldn't seem to keep her footing stable around him. And she'd never liked the feeling of being off guard.

Not having a suitable response to his answer, she went turn back around so as to continue their trek. The sooner she got to the destination, the sooner she got away from him and could home. Once more, she found herself unable to make any progress at all because he refused to let go of his hold on her shoulders. Trying her best not to growl in way that Ino would have scolded her for being unladylike, Sakura turned back to him. "Is there anything else?"

It became even harder to repress her urge when she saw that amusement in his eyes increase. "I do believe you also thanked me for catching you. It would be common courtesy to tell you that you are welcome, would it not?"

Green eyes blinked, before narrowing once more. Had he always been this insufferable? She remembered arguing with Sasuke that his brother was not a pain in the ass, merely a gentleman about the way he did things. Nothing was wrong with having a little olden day charm, after all. Now she was seeing why he complained about Itachi's mannerisms so much. Or maybe it was just the fact that she was in a situation she didn't want to be in and he was unmoving in his amusement of her temper.

Whatever the case, she was definitely on lit fuse that was already short enough as it was. "Of course, now let go please." She answered curtly, wanting this whole situation to simply end. She wanted to take a nice long nap and then soak in some hot water. She didn't want to do this. With the same mentality she'd been working on this entire trip, she attempted to step away for the third time.

And for the third time, it didn't work.

Black eyes laughed as he shook his head, "I said it would be common courtesy to tell you that you are welcome. I did not actually do so."

More than ready to growl she settled her feet back into place, still not particular aware of just how close they were, merely that they were and he wasn't letting her move away for something as simple as common courtesy. Instead of doing anything drastic, she beat her temper into submission with the reasoning that once he said she was welcome, she could move away and finish this stupid hike. And then go home. Like she wanted.

However, he did not seem inclined to tell her that she was welcome so that she could get on with the rest of her mental plan. Which just served to agitate her further, especially when for several moments there was nothing but silence. Pursing her lips, she turned in her place, ready to give him a piece of her mind.

And froze in place when he kissed her before she could say anything.

"You are welcome, Sakura."


	63. 115 Small: Approach

**Title:** Moments in Time: A Close Up

**Author:** AppleL0V3R

**Beta-reader:** Terror-Of-The-Crimson-Night

**Fandom:** Naruto

**Pairing:** Uchiha Itachi and Haruno Sakura

**Chapter:** Sixty-Three – #115 Small: Approach

**Rating:** T

**Type:** One-shot – Complete

**Summary:** Prompts from Moments in Time that I was requested to expand on. 63. 115 – Small: Approach. Getting Sakura's attention required nothing short of bluntness; the small things wouldn't work.

**Word Count:** 1,875

**Disclaimer:** If you've heard of it before, then it's obviously not mine.

**Note:** As the summary states these were skits I was asked to turn into actually works. I will always put which one it was and the skit just before the chapter. They won't be in numerical order because I'm doing them as I'm requested. They won't be any more than one-shots though they may become two to five –shots (I will forewarn when that happens) but they won't become stories unless I choose to.

Also, I know how the Japanese school system works. If you want to think of this in a Japanese setting then be my guest, but I'm using the American school system since it is more convenient for their age range and such.

**Request by:** Kimiko-oneechan

* * *

115. Small (Itachi)

He watched as she hummed to some melody, sometimes mouthing the words but never audibly. She was in the far corner of the library, book settled in her lap and propped against the table with a few sheets and other open books spread out on it. She was clearly doing an assignment, though of what nature he didn't know – a research paper? An essay? – but it didn't really matter either.

He was careful to stay partially hidden by the bookshelves and look interested in the book in his hand. He knew this wasn't healthy but the small girl wasn't exactly approachable. Not that she made it hard, simply that he found it impossible to do so.

One hand fiddled with a pencil as another tapped on the table. And then she looked up at him.

* * *

The first time someone of the opposite gender attracted his attention in a possibly more than platonic interest, he realized he was doomed.

He was used to one of his best friends, Inuzuka Hana, going on about girl things; she had a tendency to rant about anything and everything to him. He was sure it was because she knew it irritated him that she deemed him 'feminine' enough that she actually thought he wanted to hear about the female side of relationships and all things that went along with being of the female gender. She of course, insisted it was because he was a good listener, she knew he would listen to her and wouldn't try to fix the problem or go out of his way to make her feel better, and that in turn always made her feel better. Though he would admit, he could understand how that felt, having some to confide in without being thought less of was more than a little 'nice'.

However when he had his revelation he almost turned on his heel and went to find the brunette because even if he was looking for an answer, at the very least she might understand his panic.

After all, the girl in question was five years younger and a freshman who had just started at their high school. Not to mention that one of her best friends was his little brother. It just wouldn't be a good idea to even _think_ about it. It didn't help that he'd only had a handful of conversations with her and that was only when she was waiting on his little brother or something else to that effect.

Instead, when he saw Hana again, he brought it up casually, figuring if he did that, it would make it far less painless and less likely for her to use against him like she was wont to. She did tease a little, but he was used to her verbal jests, and then she asked for all the details and the whys and finally offered him a grin and some advice. In the back of his mind he had been thankful that she understood he wasn't telling her his problem for the same reason she tended to tell him all of hers.

So here he was, months after he realized he liked the pink haired girl and nearing the winter months, still working up the courage to go through with that plan he'd been told. And it was a good plan, sound and if all went well, liking the girl like he did would cease to be a problem.

He watched as she hummed to some melody, sometimes mouthing the words but never audibly. She was in the far corner of the library, book settled in her lap and propped against the table with a few sheets and other open books spread out on it. She was clearly doing an assignment, though of what nature he didn't know – a research paper? An essay? – but it didn't really matter either.

He was careful to stay partially hidden by the bookshelves and look interested in the book in his hand. He knew this wasn't healthy but the small girl wasn't exactly approachable. Not that she made it hard, simply that he found it impossible to do so.

One hand fiddled with a pencil as another tapped on the table. And then she looked up at him.

In a split second that he refused to let himself panic for, he acted. Nodding to her, almost as if to show that he's notice of her hadn't been staring and merely accidentally that it had been just moments before she looked up at him. He was good at façades and making things seem different than they really were and he hoped now was the same.

At his nod she smiled, it was small but easy going. It was the one she gave him every time he acknowledged her, so ritual was it that he couldn't stop himself from picking up his feet one after the other and approaching her. He was just reacting naturally, partially because he wasn't thinking about it and partially because Hana said that natural was much better than forced. Just be himself, she'd said. If that wasn't enough, then the attraction wasn't worth pursing, ideally of course.

When he was close enough, he made a small show of eyeing all the books she had out, "Project?"

She huffed, looking slightly irritated as she too looked them over, "Essay."

Chuckling lightly, he pulled the chair across from her and settled into it, "What is the topic?"

She put the book she'd had in her lap along with the paper and pencil. He could see how she'd been brainstorming on the paper, mixing notes with constructed sentences and filed that knowledge with all its implications away for later usage. "Basically, it's comparing and contrasting Greek heroes from events like the Trojan War as well as stories like The Odyssey to modern day heroes, either from World War 2 or important political people."

He didn't even bat an eyelash at the way she seemed bored with the whole thing, "It's not an interesting subject?"

Pink locks went everywhere as she shook her head. "I like mythology, especially Greek well enough, and I think causes and effects of war in modern times are intriguing. But I don't like analyzing heroes from any era and then explaining why they are heroes. It's just not fascinating, I guess."

If he wasn't mistaken, didn't this paper come before the next one where she had to write about someone who was a hero to her? He wondered who she considered a hero. "Then I'm assuming you don't like the essay after this one either."

Huffing again, she shook her head. "Nope, not only is it more personal, I don't think I have a 'hero' in my life. You know? I mean, my parents aren't really in the picture and as great as my friends are they've never done anything to warrant me seeing them as a hero?" She paused. "Wait. What did you write this 'hero' essay over?"

He was quite a moment, trying to remember just who had chosen to claim as his hero. "Honestly…I don't remember." He vaguely wondered if it was his mother or father, but he didn't think it was. "It might have been my great uncle." At the time he had spent most of his days helping his grand uncle and learning from him. But he also remembered that he and his parents had a falling out with man as well.

Green eyes blinked. "Like the great uncle who gave you and Sasuke a hard time, that great uncle?"

Caught off guard by her knowledge of his family he nodded, "Sasuke told you, I assume."

She nodded, "He mentioned it in passing. I think he was more focused on school and pleasing Fugaku than whatever Madara – that is his name right? – was up to. And I figured it wasn't really my business so I never asked past that."

It occurred to him belatedly, that once again, he'd managed a conversation with her without a problem. He'd known she had the sort of open personality that made her easy to talk to, and he also felt that there was no reason to lie or hide things from her because she was trustworthy. Not for the first time, he marveled at the simplicity she seemed to represent. But that most certainly wasn't all there was to this petite young woman. He knew from Sasuke she was a ball of nerves, ready to either extend a hand or bite someone's head off depending on the circumstances.

And as he watched her right now, relaxed and pensive, it was hard to see the spitfire side of her that he knew lay just beneath the surface.

A wayward glance at the clock told him that he should get going or Shisui and Hana would give him hell for being late. Especially since he never was, and that was just a disaster that wasn't worth incurring just yet. "It's long past now, only some of my older relatives hold on to it."

She chuckled, "I'll bet."

"I on the other hand, am going to be running late." With that he stood from his seat and pushed it back to where it belonged.

Green eyes blinked in surprise, before she gave him another one of those dazzling smiles she always seemed to be capable of. "I hope I'll see you around then."

It wasn't an invitation or anything of the sort. But it was progress. Inclining his head, he took a step back, "With any luck it is sooner rather than later." Raising his hand, in a simple farewell jesture, he turned around to head out of the library. The image of her smiling face imprinted in his thoughts and the way she had nodded almost excitedly in response.

No it wasn't even close to asking her on a date. But for now it would have to do. And he was more than content with the newest image of her that he had gained in the process.


	64. 116 Hero: Under the Influence

**Title:** Moments in Time: A Close Up

**Author:** AppleL0V3R

**Beta-reader:** Terror-Of-The-Crimson-Night

**Fandom:** Naruto

**Pairing:** Uchiha Itachi and Haruno Sakura

**Chapter:** Sixty-Four – #116 Hero: Under the Influence.

**Rating:** T

**Type:** One-shot – Complete

**Summary:** Prompts from Moments in Time that I was requested to expand on. 64. 116 – Hero: Under the Influence. If she was being perfectly honest, Itachi would be a great hero.

**Word Count:** 2,055

**Disclaimer:** If you've heard of it before, then it's obviously not mine.

**Note:** As the summary states these were skits I was asked to turn into actually works. I will always put which one it was and the skit just before the chapter. They won't be in numerical order because I'm doing them as I'm requested. They won't be any more than one-shots though they may become two to five –shots (I will forewarn when that happens) but they won't become stories unless I choose to.

This is pretty much the same scene as the last chapter (115 Small: Approach), except this one is from Sakura's perspective. So yes the dialogue and actions are going to be 100% the same. Though, this one ended up longer…

**Request by:** Kimiko-oneechan

* * *

116. Hero (Sakura)

Sakura fiddled with the mechanical pencil, board and irritated with this assignment but she figured she might as well get it done. It wouldn't be due for a while but if she got it out of the way now she wouldn't have to worry about it later. Besides, she still had another assignment to think about. It was more of a memoir/essay type of paper. The prompt being 'Who is your hero? Why? What event caused this person to become your hero?' And she honestly didn't have one of those, not that she could think of anyway. Her father had left when she was young and her mom was usually AWOL and her friends were great – she loved them, but not one of them had done something that merited 'hero'.

Feeling eyes on her, she glanced up into the black eyes of Sasuke's elder brother.

* * *

Sighing to herself, she dropped her book bag next to the chair and flopped down onto the cushiony surface. English was officially her least favorite subject this year. Normally, it was one of her favorite classes, but she simply didn't like fiction nor did she like analyzing. So analyzing fiction and then writing an essay on it was pretty much the worst thing possible. She was so not looking forward to the rest of the year.

Pushing that thought aside, she reached down to dig into her bag, pulling out various books and folders and placing them almost strategically on the table. But she didn't bother to get situated; instead, she got up and headed for the politics and government section of the library. She still needed a few other references before she felt comfortable doing this entire paper in one go. And being the bookworm that she was, she found them very easily, returning to her seat within ten or so minutes.

She sighed again as she looked at her newly created workspace. Sakura settled into her chair, making herself as comfortable as possible before she began arranging the array of books and folders until they were just so. With that done, she pulled out a few sheets of paper, grabbed her favorite pencil and started reading.

This was going to be a long day.

And within an hour she was fiddling with the mechanical pencil, board and irritated with this assignment that she was trying to get done. In all reality, it wouldn't be due for a while but if she got it out of the way now she wouldn't have to worry about it later. Besides, she still had another assignment to think about. It was more of a memoir/essay type of paper. The prompt being 'Who is your hero? Why? What event caused this person to become your hero?'

And she honestly didn't have one of those, not any that she could think of anyway. Her father had left when she was young and her mom was usually AWOL and her friends were great – she loved them to death – but not one of them had done something that merited 'hero'.

Feeling eyes on her, she glanced up into the black eyes of Sasuke's elder brother.

She knew Itachi, though more by association than anything else. They'd had a limited number of conversations that could only really be counted as passing small talk if she were being completely honest. But that didn't change the fact that he seriously interested her. The guy was very attractive, not that she truly cared about that. What had caught her attention were the few glimpses she'd been allowed to see of the inner workings of his mind.

Sakura had heard quite a bit from Sasuke because, even if he'd never really admit, he practically hero worshipped the older Uchiha. So she had heard countless stories about Itachi, about what he had said and done and how he went about things. She even heard about his flaws and how he got under her best friend's skin more often than not.

But Sasuke wasn't the only person that she'd heard about this particular Uchiha from, there was a time in passing when Ino had her heart set on him. The blonde had moved on, but not before digging into who he was as best she could and sharing it with the rosette. And so she'd learned superficial things about Itachi, most of it she'd known from his little brother but some of it had been new as well. But she'd never thought for a moment that it was possible, even if she was as good as sibling with his own brother, the guy had proven that it meant nothing more than courteousness and small talk.

She could live with that, after all, she had the roller coaster of her own life to deal with. No point in obsessing or pinning for someone who was clearly out of her league.

It took her a moment to realize that he had nodded to her just after she'd looked up and she smiled in return. When she did so, he turned fully towards her and began his approach. When he was close enough, he eyed her books in an almost curious fashion, "Project?"

Sakura looked down, eyes roving over the material and disliking the reminder that she still needed to get it done. She huffed at the thought, wishing the assignment away, "Essay."

She glanced back up at him when she heard the soft melody of his laughter.

That was another trait about him that had caught her attention. Ino and Naruto were loud and boisterous, their laughter usually shaking their shoulders with its throatiness. Sasuke rarely laughed, though he did smirk and smile, but his laughs simply weren't audible or when they were, they were full on laughter. Itachi however, he seemed to prefer light chuckles, nothing loud or engulfing, but it was still enchanting all the same.

He pulled out the chair across from and sat down in it, "What is the topic?"

Figuring that for the duration of this conversation she probably wasn't going to be working, or probably not even for the rest of the day with the way she was progressing, she put the book in her lap on the table along with her pencil and paper. "Basically, it's comparing and contrasting Greek heroes from events like the Trojan War as well as stories like The Odyssey to modern day heroes, either from World War 2 or important political people."

Itachi titled his head just slightly as he gazed unblinkingly back at her, "It's not an interesting subject?"

No. Her brain supplied immediately, instead she merely shook her head, "I like mythology, especially Greek well enough, and I think causes and effects of war in modern times are intriguing. But I don't like analyzing heroes from any era and then explaining why they are heroes. It's just not fascinating, I guess."

"Then I'm assuming you don't like the essay after this one either."

It took her by surprise that he would know that, and then she remembered that he had been a freshman just four years ago and so he probably would have done the same essays. Still, the second reminder of the essay that she had no idea what to do for made her huff as she shook her head again. "Nope, not only is it more personal, I don't think I have a 'hero' in my life. You know? I mean, my parents aren't really in the picture and as great as my friends are they've never done anything to warrant me seeing them as a hero?" A thought occurred to her suddenly, "Wait. What did you write this 'hero' essay over?"

She realized belatedly that maybe she shouldn't have just blurted out such a question just because the thought occurred to her. But after a moment he answered her, "Honestly…I don't remember. It might have been my great uncle."

She blinked, any shyness about over stepping possible boundaries gone when her curiosity pushed it aside. "Like the great uncle who gave you and Sasuke a hard time, that great uncle?" She remembered that, especially since it had been only a year or two since its happening. Sasuke had been slightly more grouchy than usually and even a bit touchy during when their great uncle had been hard on not only the brothers but the whole family. She remembered it more because Sasuke had spent most of his time between her house and Naruto's, even spending the night on most occasions. But still, he hadn't really talked about it, so she didn't know any details. Though it was also because she figured that since he had taken himself out of the environment there was no point in making him cranky by bringing it up. He got through the rest well enough on his own.

Lost temporarily in her thoughts, she didn't see the surprised expression that flittered across Itachi's face, but she did see him incline his head slightly. "Sasuke told you, I assume."

She nodded back, pushing the thoughts aside. "He mentioned it in passing. I think he was more focused on school and pleasing Fugaku than whatever Madara – that is his name right? – was up to. And I figured it wasn't really my business so I never asked past that."

In the back of her mind, she noted how this conversation was longer than most of the ones they had. But it was still relatively simple, not so much as small talk, but not really into it either.

His gaze wavered, glancing elsewhere before coming back to her, "It's long past now, only some of my older relatives hold on to it."

Sakura chuckled at the thought of his stodgy relatives being cantankerous as ever the matter. "I'll bet." The Uchiha family was definitely one that could hold a grudge.

"I on the other hand, am going to be running late." Itachi stood from his seat and pushed it back to where it belonged.

Caught off guard, she blinked because she really hadn't expect that to be the next thing he said. Though it would explain his earlier glance. And she supposed that she couldn't keep using him as an excuse not to get this essay written. The thought alone left her feeling a little exhausted and unwilling. Still, she smiled at him, "I hope I'll see you around then."

He nodded his head in that graceful manner of his as he took a step backward, "With any luck it is sooner rather than later." He even raised his hand in farewell before he turned around and made his way for the exit of the library.

Still smiling to herself, she watched him go. She was unable to stop herself from thinking about how gentlemanly he was. And how he would have made a legendary hero in the times of the ancient Greeks, or even back in the second world war.

Maybe she could write her paper on him.

Shaking her head, she kept smiling though more out of amusement at the thought of how Sasuke would react to that.


	65. 126 Sweet: Sucker

**Title:** Moments in Time: A Close Up

**Author:** AppleL0V3R

**Beta-reader:** Terror-Of-The-Crimson-Night

**Fandom:** Naruto

**Pairing:** Uchiha Itachi and Haruno Sakura

**Chapter:** Sixty-Five – #126 Sweet: Sucker

**Rating:** T

**Type:** One-shot – Complete

**Summary:** Prompts from Moments in Time that I was requested to expand on. 65. 126 – Sweet: Sucker. Sakura is innocent, well, most of the time anyway.

**Word Count:** 1,220

**Disclaimer:** If you've heard of it before, then it's obviously not mine.

**Note:** As the summary states these were skits I was asked to turn into actually works. I will always put which one it was and the skit just before the chapter. They won't be in numerical order because I'm doing them as I'm requested. They won't be any more than one-shots though they may become two to five –shots (I will forewarn when that happens) but they won't become stories unless I choose to.

**Request by:** Anime Freak456, Akatsuki Sakura Uchiha, theonesakura, and mUmaRhz

* * *

126. Sweet (Sakura)

Sakura loved lollipops, the sweet taste, the swirly design. But she'd never look at them the same ever again.

And honestly it wasn't her fault. Not at all…well, maybe a little. Maybe she shouldn't have unintentionally antagonized him like that. But still! He's the one who made all hard candy seem…provocative to her.

Not to mention ruined her innocence.

But that didn't mean she would refrain sucking on the candy, savoring each lick. And doing so in front of Itachi? That was tantamount to ask for a very…fun evening.

And when she spotted a sucker on the coffee table and Itachi was seated beside her, writing a paper, she looked at her book for a only few moments longer and then reached for the sweet-sweet candy with a mischievous grin.

* * *

Sakura loved lollipops, the sweet taste, the swirly design. But she'd never look at them the same ever again.

And honestly it wasn't her fault. Not at all…well, maybe a little. Maybe she shouldn't have unintentionally antagonized him like that. But still! He's the one who made all hard candy seem…provocative to her.

Not to mention ruined her innocence.

They hadn't been dating officially all that long when her innocence and pure mind were forever ruined. She'd come home with a sucker in her mouth, having had a relatively quiet day. No emergencies, a few normal check ups with regular patients. Even her staff hadn't had any problems, like they were wont to.

So her day had been peaceful and when she'd been on her way out of the hospital she'd glimpsed the jar of suckers. The nurse manning the counter had seen her pause and laughed, he'd grabbed one of the hard candies and tossed it to her. She'd grinned her thanks with a quiet laugh and the shake of her head. After that she was out the door with the sucker unwrapped and wrapper in the trash as she left through the front doors.

That was the same way she'd entered her shared home not thirty minutes later. She'd tugged off her white doctor's coat and set her purse down before looking for her boyfriend.

Said man was one of the chairs out back that overlooked the large backyard. Without breaking her stride, she removed the sucker and leaned over the back of the chair to give him a kiss on the cheek with a light smile. "I'm home."

Sable eyes turned to her, warming as they did so. "How was your day?"

She hummed, "Peaceful, actually." and then she proceeded to pop her candy back in her mouth.

Itachi eyed the white stick that stuck out, "Someone gave you candy again?"

With toothy grin she nodded with almost childlike excitement. "Miharu saw me eyeing it while I was on my way out and so he tossed one of 'em to me."

Her antics earned her an exasperated shake of her lovers head. But she was firmly unrepentant as she settled into the chair right beside him. "And how was your day, m'love?"

"Uneventful. I sparred with my team and they attempted to trick me into paying for lunch."

Reaching up to toy with the white rolled paper she laughed, "Of course they did, it's a treat when you go to a team lunch so why not make it an official treat?"

One side of his lips quirked up in an amused smirk, "I distinctly remember that when you were on the team you wouldn't let me pay for our lunches."

Sakura shrugged, "That, my dear, is because chivalry is most definitely dead." Pulling out the sucker, she licked at it a bit before trapping it between her teeth. She didn't pay the heavy look she was getting from the man beside her any mind. Her lover was a naturally intense individual, and it was a look she'd gotten accustomed to.

Again he shook his head, "Paying for the meal would have been courteous and gentlemanly."

Green eyes blinked before she rolled them, "This sounds like a familiar debate."

"We've had it before." He confirmed lightly.

"Then lets drop it for now, huh? It's not like we'll ever agree on it."

He nodded absently. "That's fine, I'm more interested in telling you to stop playing with your food."

Again she blinked from surprise of the bluntness of the statement. And then again when what he'd said sunk in. Then she grinned almost cheekily, knowing her mischief showed in her eyes. "You mean, no playing, like this?"

She slowly dragged the sucker out of her mouth and licked it with the same exaggerated slowness. Putting it between her teeth, she rolled it around before licking it again. Before she could do more, she found herself being suddenly yanked out of her chair. Her unfinished candy fell on the floor with a clatter but was quickly forgotten in favor of paying attention to the way he seemed to attack her with his lips. He pressed firm kisses to her lips, but didn't stop there.

In fact, her boyfriend didn't seem inclined to pull back as he parted her lips and explored her mouth in fervor. The exquisite taste of him, musky rainwater, and the feel of his raspy tongue sliding across the sensitive nerves in her mouth made her moan throatily.

When he finally did allow her to breath, his eyes were dark nearly swallowing the cobalt slivers in his eyes. "Yes that. Unless you want more, don't play so provocatively, Sa-ku-ra."

All she could do was blush and stutter in return.

Since then, every time she saw a sucker she remembered that almost branding kiss and thought of how he'd called her harmless teasing, provocation for not so harmless actions.

But that didn't stop her from trying to get her hands on hard candy, and definitely didn't stop her from sucking on them around him. It was usually just a surefire way to end up flat on her back and kissed stupid.

So, of course, when she spotted a sucker on the coffee table and Itachi was seated beside her, writing a paper, she looked at her book for a only few moments longer and then reached for the sweet-sweet candy with a mischievous grin.

She was well aware of how this would end and she was definitely looking forward to it.


	66. 129 Laces: Embedded

**Title:** Moments in Time: A Close Up

**Author:** AppleL0V3R

**Beta-reader:** Symphonia Freak

**Fandom:** Naruto

**Pairing:** Uchiha, Itachi and Haruno, Sakura

**Chapter:** Sixty-Six – #129 Laces: Embedded.

**Rating:** T

**Type:** One-shot – Complete

**Summary:** Prompts from Moments in Time that I was requested to expand on. 66. 129 – Laces: Embedded. He gave her fair warning to not be underdressed in his home. But clearly, she hadn't listened.

**Word Count:** 1,585

**Disclaimer:** If you've heard of it before, then it's obviously not mine.

**Note:** As the summary states these were skits I was asked to turn into actually works. I will always put which one it was and the skit just before the chapter. They won't be in numerical order because I'm doing them as I'm requested. They won't be any more than one-shots though they may become two to five –shots (I will forewarn when that happens) but they won't become stories unless I choose to.

**Request by:** Anime Freak456, Akatsuki Sakura Uchiha, mUmaRhz

**First Posted On:** Oct 3, 2011

**Edited On:** Oct 4, 2011

* * *

129. Laces (Itachi)

Black eyes watched her turn slightly, before she seemed to grow impatient with the blanket that wasn't comfortable around her anymore. She kicked her legs out, trying to resituate but only succeeded in tangling them further. She made a soft whining noise in the back of her throat as her hands tried to sort the problem out.

He felt a quiet rumble in his own chest out of amusement for this petite woman in his bed. His lips curled when he finally pushed the blankets off of her completely. She was wearing a baby t-shirt and panties.

Hadn't he warned her about under dressing in his home? Especially in his bed.

He wondered if she'd regret it when she woke. Only one way to find out.

* * *

Sakura stumbled almost sleepily across the threshold of the living room, just barely getting the door soundly shut behind her. She proceeded to trudge her way down the hall, turning at the second door on the left.

She was so accustomed to this home that more than once the young woman had wondered if she knew it better than her own, and figured that it was a very good possibility.

But right then, all she cared about was getting a quick warm shower and then going to bed. She knew the bed wouldn't be warm, but the room would be. After said quick shower and getting dressed in some nightwear, she padded on bathroom tiles until she reached the carpet of the room the bathroom had been conjoined to. Smiling at the feel of dark blue material under her feet, she kept going until her thighs hit the soft as fur fabric that she knew contained feathers inside.

Without further adieu, she let her body fall unceremoniously onto the king sized bed and crawled over her favorite comforter until she got to the numerous pillows at the head of the bed. Still letting her eyes stay closed, she used her hands and feet to navigate her way through layers of bedding until she was almost cocooned between the top layer and the sheets. More than content, she settled herself in, adjusting only a little to find the perfect position and let sleep finally take her completely.

This was the sight Itachi was treated to upon his return home from a long day at work. The commonality of the picture before him was almost heartwarming in a way, but it quickly became a different kind of heat. Black eyes watched her turn slightly, before she seemed to grow impatient with the blanket that wasn't comfortable around her anymore. She kicked her legs out, clearly trying to resituate but only succeeded in tangling them further. She made a soft whining noise in the back of her throat as her hands tried to sort the problem out. All with her eyes shut, and her mind still obviously submerged in sleep. It was only a matter of time before her body's discomfort woke her, he knew.

He felt a quiet rumble in his own chest out of amusement for this petite woman in his bed. His lips curled when he finally pushed the blankets off of her completely. She was wearing a baby t-shirt and panties.

Hadn't he warned her about under dressing in his home? Especially in his bed.

He wondered if she'd regret it when she woke. Only one way to find out.

She'd let out a sigh of contentment when he'd freed of her of the containment his comforter had presented, and she'd stretched like a cat – arching her back and extending all four limbs as far as they would go – before turning over onto her side and curling around one of the pillows. Already dark eyes grew markedly blacker. He knew she wasn't even aware of his presence at the bedside, or even that he'd helped her, but that didn't stop him from thinking how she could be seductive even in sleep.

He distinctly remembered the first time he had found her in such a underdressed manner while in sleeping in his bed. Itachi hadn't even thought to shift the blankets, didn't even acknowledgement them, until she'd woken up. In typical Sakura fashion, she'd groaned quietly as she reached one arm up to swipe at her eyes before she yawned widely and sat up. Still rubbing at her eyes, she'd paid no mind to the fact that her shirt sleeve had slipped off one shoulder and that he could see the lace of her underwear that the blanket hadn't kept covered when it fell.

It had taken all of his self control not to simple pounce on her. Instead, he'd nailed her with a very intense look and told her that unless she wanted to be wearing even less, she should take care to wear more when she slept in his bed. Groggy green eyes had come wide awake and her cheeks had turned red with her blush as she squeaked and hurriedly pulled the dark colored comforter back up.

Clearly, she hadn't learned her lesson, because here she was, doing it again. He knew that she was well aware that he didn't say anything he didn't mean, even if it was a subtle meaning. So that meant one of two things: she'd been exhausted and hadn't thought about his warning or she'd done this on purpose.

He supposed it didn't really matter, considering they both led to the same ending. Without even bothering to reconsider, he lightly grabbed both of her arms, one at the wrist and the other at her upper arm. Sakura was very pliant and easily moved when she slept, so it took no effort at all to get her to roll onto her back. Moving forward, he secured his knees at her hips, trapping her under the blanket while he was at it. Finally, he leaned down and feathered kisses on her cheeks and forehead and jaw line, before pressing a harder one to her collarbone, one of the more sensitive places on her already highly responsive body.

She woke with a start, instinctively sitting up quickly, but she was quickly stopped by the grip he had on her arms and the closeness of their bodies. He watched with a satisfied smirk as she squeaked in a mouse-like way, the creamy skin of her cheeks turning a bright red. "I-Itachi–?"

Tilting his head slightly, he smirked wider, "I warned you."

Confusion flashed for only a moment before realization dawned. Her mouth came open, clearly she intended to protest, but nothing came out. She closed it and tried again, this time managing a, "But–"

He leaned closer, further invading her personal space and she moved back just as much. "But what, Sakura?"

Her jaw clicked closed and she shook her head, "I forgot."

He didn't blink, nor did he give her leeway, "Doesn't matter." She swallowed and backed up again, managing to lower herself back into the bed. Sakura had effectively trapped herself. The raven haired man decided to stay put, she wasn't acting like she was caged but she didn't seem agreeable to him continuing either. "As I said, I warned you not to dress in so little. Not when you're sleeping in my bed."

She pursed her lips, "I know, I know, you meant it, and I should have thought about that beforehand."

After a moment he gave her a contented smile. "Consider this your one free chance. You won't get another, no matter what."

She nodded, looking both relieved and disappointed. What an interesting mix, he thought idly, knowing it was because she was more than willing, just not right then. Slowly, he settled back on his haunches, placing his weight more on her hips than his legs.

Green eyes blinked up at him, then glanced out the window. The room was mostly dark save for the moonlight trying to get in through the curtains. "What time is it?"

He snorted softly and something told him she wouldn't remember his warning the next time around either. Still, he shifted to get off her and back on his feet. He started to undress, changing into loose pajama bottoms. "Bedtime."

She began rearranging the blankets; she had left a place for him. She was asleep once more when he settled between the layers of bedding, but it didn't stop her from curling up to him once he was comfortable.

It was a satisfying ending to a long day.


	67. 137 Alcohol: Bar

**Title:** Moments in Time: A Close Up

**Author:** AppleL0V3R

**Beta-reader:** SymphoniaFreak

**Fandom:** Naruto

**Pairing:** Uchiha, Itachi and Haruno, Sakura

**Chapter:** Sixty-Seven – #137 Alcohol: Bar.

**Rating:** T

**Type:** One-shot – Complete

**Summary:** Prompts from Moments in Time that I was requested to expand on. 67. 137 – Alcohol: Bar. Sakura didn't get drunk, but when she did it was disastrous for all parties involved.

**Word Count:** 2,290

**Disclaimer:** If you've heard of it before, then it's obviously not mine.

**Note:** As the summary states these were skits I was asked to turn into actually works. I will always put which one it was and the skit just before the chapter. They won't be in numerical order because I'm doing them as I'm requested. They won't be any more than one-shots though they may become two to five –shots (I will forewarn when that happens) but they won't become stories unless I choose to.

**Request by:** Anime Freak456, child of a fallen angel and theonesakura.

**Edited on:** October 7, 2011

* * *

137. Alcohol (Itachi)

She was drunk. It was unlike her, too, for a few reasons, but mainly that she usually didn't touch alcoholic beverages and when she did it was typically wine and only because the occasion called for it.

But with how she couldn't keep her footing and the almost red of her cheeks, he knew that she was going to have one hell of a hangover in the morning.

What he cared more about right then, though, was that some guy was trying to take advantage of _his_ girl.

It wasn't official; she probably didn't even feel that way about him. But he couldn't help his over protectiveness of her, especially since he was still in the process of getting her to think of him like that.

* * *

Black eyes watched her body as she moved to the beat of the blaring from speakers connected to the stage. Her hips swayed back and forth, most of the time she kept bare arms in the air and her eyes closed. He knew they were green because he knew the girl. Her long pink hair was unmistakable and even in a dark room full of strobe lights, it made her easy to pick out of the crowd. She was by herself as she danced; her blonde friend was too busy a few seats down, flirting with the bartender.

Itachi tried to tell himself that he wasn't going to look away, that he followed her every movement because all the others doing so didn't have as good intentions as he deemed acceptable. Granted, his weren't any better. But knowing her gave him the ability to restrain himself from taking advantage of the way she was enjoying herself. He wouldn't do anything even remotely intimate to her so long as he stayed at the bar and she stayed on the dance floor. Somewhere in the back of his mind he noted that his attempt to tell himself that his watching her had nothing to do with his attraction to the college student had backfired completely.

It also occurred to him that he should simply leave, that doing this – staying away because he didn't want to ruin the relationship he had with her – was unnecessary torture and he shouldn't be troubling himself with it. But he wouldn't look away, even if he could, because if this was as close as he was willing to get to her, then he'd take it.

Though the fact that the way she moved her body so mesmerizingly was helpful, in a way. It justified nothing, he knew, it probably even made it worse for him, but at the same time it was a convenient excuse. One he was more than willing to use to live with his conscious for doing this. After all, voyeurism wasn't the same as taking advantage of a drunk young woman, even if he was attracted to her on more than a physical level.

What surprised him was that she was even drunk in the first place. Itachi was well aware that they were at a club and such was the norm at these places, but this was _Sakura_. Sakura didn't get drunk for a very simple reason: she didn't drink, not if she could help it. The most he'd ever seen her drink was a few sips of wine at a formal dinner party and that was it. He also knew for a fact that she didn't like the taste of alcohol of any sort and she definitely didn't like the feeling of being intoxicated with it.

Yet here she was, dancing in a club, unable to keep her footing for more than a few steps at a time and withalmost red cheeks in her stupor – drunk. He knew she was going to have one hell of a hangover for it come morning. He wondered idly if her best friend was going to take care of her, or if the pinkette would sleep the morning away. Knowing her like he did, he presumed she would sleep in, but eventually find some pain killers before starting her day.

But all of his thoughts were shoved back to secondary importance when he noticed a pair of hands had settled on her hips and they were distinctly male. Irritation mixed with a hint of jealousy bubbled to the surface as he instinctively got to his feet. Just because he wasn't willing to do anything to the college student didn't mean he was willing to let some guy try to take advantage of _his_ girl while she was drunk.

Before reason could rein him in, tell him to think his actions through first, he was already shouldering his way through the crowd with the ultimate destination of getting to Sakura. With each determined footfall, it took him no time to get to her, and he stopped right in front of the dancing woman. Still reacting on pure instinct, he reached out and yanked her from the stranger's grasp, pulling her straight into his chest. She stumbled and crashed headfirst, but didn't seem inclined to protest being pulled from her dancing partner. Said man looked like he was about to glare at Itachi, but seemed sober enough to recognize just who Itachi was, and backed down almost immediately. Hands raised in the universal pose for surrender, he took steps backwards before he eventually turned to meld into the crowd.

With the perceived threat dealt with, black eyes turned to the drunk woman still in his arms. She'd grabbed his shoulder with one hand and used her hip as a point to lean against his body with. With her other hand she was rubbing her head, eyes still closed. All in all, she presented the picture of someone at ease and not at all concerned with the fact that he was all but holding up her weight.

"Sakura." He called her attention to himself. And just as he'd expected, she stopped rubbing her head and opened her eyes. Upturning her face, she gave him a questioning look.

"Itachi?" There was just the slightest slur in her voice, "I didn' know you went t' clubs." She paused briefly before blinking bright green eyes, "What're you doin' here?"

He debated lying, knew that she would be able to tell if he did, but opted for the truth anyway since the implications of it wouldn't sink in for her. And he doubted she would even remember tonight, let alone what he said while conversing with her in a club. "Keeping an eye on you."

Again she blinked, and then she grinned. "I kinda figured tha', 'tachi."

Frowning slightly, he chose to play along. "Really? And how did you figure that?"

Still grinning, she shook her head. "Uh-uh, dance with me." Moving the hand on his shoulder and reaching for him with the other, she looped both arms around his neck in clumsy manner.

This time around, he did stop to think about doing such a thing. She was drunk and willing to answer anything he asked and more, just so long as he danced with her. If there was a drawback, other than the fact that this was probably not a good idea in the physical sense, then he didn't see it. So pushing aside any of the possible repercussions that had kept him at a distance in the first place, he nodded, securing his own arms around her waist. "But you have to answer all of my questions."

She nodded in an over exaggerated manner, "Deal." The pink haired student paused, seeming to recall his question even as she once more began moving to the beat of the music and vibrating speakers. He easily matched her clumsy steps with graceful ones, making sure she didn't stumble as he did so. "I figured it 'cause I saw you watchin' me."

"Before you got drunk?" He clarified. Because that meant there was a possibility she would remember that in the morning.

She shook her head happily, "After…after Ino got me t' drink some." Silent relief washed over him at that, he'd spent too much time making sure he didn't ruin what he already had with her. He didn't need a single night mucking up his efforts. But she wasn't done talking yet. "Bu' I also knew 'cause yer always take care of me."

Sakura had noticed that? He almost scoffed at his own question, of course she did. The woman was highly intelligent and very observant. Something so obvious wouldn't have escaped her attention. It was part of the reason why she depended on him the way she did and the reason she trusted him so deeply. It was why he wouldn't even attempt to take advantage of her no matter how much he wanted to.

"Ino says i's 'cause you _like_ me." She was still grinning, though he guessed she was trying to be saucy and coy while she was at it. But with the drunk factoring in, she didn't do so well at accomplishing it.

He froze for an instant, before the first part of her sentence sunk in. "Does she?" Her pink head bobbed once, "And what do you think?"

Again she paused, taking a long moment as she leveled her gaze on his chest as she did so. When she finally brought her green eyes back to his black ones, she gave a nonchalant shrug, "Not sure." As if it was an after thought, she added, "Bu' I think so."

Once more he forced himself to keep moving in time with her. He was left with two choices: he could admit to it bluntly or he could vaguely dance around the answer. "Why do you think that?"

She shrugged her shoulders again, "'Cause…'cause, you– 'cause yer you." Pink hair went every where as she shook her head, "Yer never too busy for me, you go out of yer way t' make me happy, an' that look–"

The question, 'aren't those things friends do as well?' was on the tip of his tongue until she gave that last example. "What look?" Sasuke had mentioned he had a 'look' about him when he was spending time with Sakura, or even when he was simply looking at or thinking about her. But the stubborn boy had never actually explained this 'look'.

Green eyes blinked at him, and her grin became a smile. She pulled back one of her arms in favor of resting her palm against his cheek, "This one. Warm eyes, soft eyes, slight smile, content smile. Didja know yer eyes have ca-co-cob-"she frowned with frustration for a moment, clearly not happy that the word wouldn't come out right.

"Cobalt?" He guessed.

She rewarded him with a big smile, "Yeah, that! Well, they have those slivers in 'em. I's beautiful. An' they ge' big when yer really happy an' content, an' Sasuke says i's only 'round me."

Even drunk, she could tell that he'd fallen in love with her. It was an odd realization. It made him happy that she knew and disappointed that she'd never said anything. If she didn't even comment on it, or try to reciprocate, didn't that mean she didn't feel the same? The idea stung him, even more so than the knowledge that he'd kept his love for her bottled because he didn't want to risk losing her. His voice was quiet almost emotionless as he asked the next question, "Why didn't you tell me you knew?"

She shrugged again, clearly she hadn't caught the change in his demeanor, "I figured you'd tell me yerself when you were ready."

She had been waiting for him.

Vaguely, he noticed they were the only two not moving on the dance floor, but couldn't bring himself to even bother caring about that just yet. "Do you feel the same?"

Again green eyes blinked and the grin returned to a simple smile, this one soft and designed for comforting. "Innit that obvious?"

So where did that leave him?

With a drunk young woman that he loved in his arms, one that he'd just learned loved him back. Dully, he wondered how long she'd returned his feelings and why he hadn't noticed sooner.

This night had definitely turned out very differently than he'd thought it would. Sighing quietly, he began urging her to move, heading for the direction of her blonde friend who was still chatting animatedly with the bartender.

"Where we goin'?" She was attempting to keep up, though her clumsy footing and his long strides made it near impossible for her to.

They'd finish this particular conversation in the morning. When Sakure was sober and he had time to process and think about all of this. "We're going home."


	68. 140 Writer's Choice: Conned

**Title:** Moments in Time: A Close Up

**Author:** AppleL0V3R

**Beta-reader:** SymphoniaFreak

**Fandom:** Naruto

**Pairing:** Uchiha Itachi and Haruno Sakura

**Chapter:** Sixty-Eight – #140 Writer's Choice: Conned.

**Rating:** T

**Type:** One-shot – Complete

**Summary:** Prompts from Moments in Time that I was requested to expand on. 68. 140 – Writer's Choice: Conned. Not only had she gotten in trouble for something she didn't do, she'd been targeted.

**Word Count:** 3,640

**Disclaimer:** If you've heard of it before, then it's obviously not mine.

**Note:** As the summary states these were skits I was asked to turn into actually works. I will always put which one it was and the skit just before the chapter. They won't be in numerical order because I'm doing them as I'm requested. They won't be any more than one-shots though they may become two to five shots (I will forewarn when that happens) but they won't become stories unless I choose to.

I'm sure with how much I use American customs and such, it is obvious that even though I'm using Japanese characters, this is another one I intend to set in the USA. It's simply easier to use a system I know rather than doing a whole hell a lot of research into a system I'm not at all familiar.

**Request by:** Anime Freak456, Akatsuki Sakura Uchiha, theonesakura and mUmaRhz

**Edited on:** November 27, 2011

* * *

140. Writer's Choice (Sakura)

She was going to kill him, she decided. Slowly, painfully.

Why?

Because her childhood best friend had managed to get _her_ caught for a con_ he_ pulled. Stupid blonde. And now she had deal with this stick in the mud whose team was more than ready to put her away for all the con artist crap Naruto had pulled. Thankfully, Sasuke's elder brother wasn't an idiot so he was questioning whether she was the real culprit or if she had been set up. She hoped she could angle so that he thought it was the latter but didn't find out that she knew who the real con artist was.

But the way those black eyes were looking at her?

Things did not bode well for her.

Well, crap.

* * *

When she found herself subjected to dark intense eyes that didn't belong to her heart's brother, Sakura knew immediately that she was in trouble. And not just any trouble, the big kind that was going to be like a deeper-than-six-foot grave to get out of.

She didn't know the owner of those eyes very well, but she was well aware of whom they belonged to and that the look in them meant running was futile so before he'd even stopped in front of her, she knew she was going to end up going wherever he told her to and it would make things easier if she went quietly. After all, this was Uchiha Itachi, a very well known FBI agent who was pretty much an icon for the agency.

But she refused to act shy or scared, so she kept a wary eye on him even as she cocked her head in curiosity with a light smile on her face. "Hello, can I help you with something?"

He nodded once curtly, his black eyes were intense and suspicious. She was sure it wasn't everyday that a suspect came nicely. "Would you please come with me ma'am." She snorted inwardly at the line because that was definitely not a question no matter its phrasing.

Still, she inclined her head in return, smile never faltering. Sakura was fairly certain she'd just gotten framed for something she hadn't done. In fact, it was probably some art theft crime or something that Naruto was responsible for. There was no way she was going in for simple questioning. This man had the intention of interrogating her until she gave him either a confession or another lead to go off of. "I'd be happy to."

This was going to be hell, she could just feel it.

* * *

Hell didn't even begin to cover it. She was going to kill him, she decided. Slowly, painfully.

Why?

Because she was right and that childhood best friend of hers had managed to get _her_ caught for a con_ he_ pulled. Stupid blonde. And now she had deal with this stick in the mud whose team was more than ready to put her away for all the con artist crap Naruto had pulled. Not just the most recent one, but _all _of them. Damned blonde. Thankfully, Sasuke's elder brother wasn't an idiot, so he was questioning whether she was the real culprit or if she had been set up. She hoped she could angle so that he thought it was the latter but didn't find out that she knew who the real con artist was.

But with the way those black eyes were looking at her? Things did not bode well for her.

Well, crap.

Not to mention the fact that she'd been sitting in this chair for at least a good two hours now and didn't think she'd be going anywhere any time soon. However, there was no way she was getting up to move around, hell she refused to even resituate herself. Asking for water or anything of the sort was also out of the question.

"Sir, I don't know any other way I can say it. But I am not responsible for the stealing of Raphael's _Vision of a Knight_, nor did I try to resell it." What else was she supposed to say? She was well aware that she didn't have an alibi for the time frame of the stealing of the painting, but it didn't mean she wasn't telling the truth.

"You don't have an alibi."

Trying not to huff or snort or any other action that would implicate her irritation. "I've already told you that I was working late at the hospital. I am aware that I clocked hours before I left, but I was busy with matters and got side tracked." Which was also true, she had been on her way out the door when one of her nurses had stopped her. It was only a simple question that required her to go to the lab and confirm what the nurse already knew. It had only taken a few minutes, but that was enough time for another of her nurses to stop her while she was in one of the many hallways. And from there the chain progressed, some with small requests others needing guidance. And quickly, that quick question which only took all of three minutes turned into multiple questions and requests spanning almost four hours. And unfortunately for her, during the estimated time of crime she was in one of the labs by herself for long enough to be a suspect. "And on top of that, what would be my motive?"

The big man beside the Uchiha snorted, "How about money, princess."

"I'm the dean of a hospital. I make more than enough money to sustain myself. Besides that, I don't have nearly enough time actually do anything with the left over money I already make." Naruto and even Sasuke had stated on more than one occasion that she was the epitome of having patience. But somewhere around the fifth time of going through this, her patience had already been halved. Now she was working on a short fuse, trying her best to be polite and making sure she didn't slip up. Her temper had gotten her into more than enough trouble over the years, and part of that trouble came from not watching what she said or did closely enough.

She couldn't afford to make sure a mistake now, short temper or no. The green-eyed doctor would not be responsible for sending her best friend and heart's brother to jail no matter how many cons he had pulled. Because he hadn't committed anything like vandalism or rape or murder and she knew that he wasn't going to. That didn't make what he was doing any less illegal, but it wasn't something she would risk putting him in jail for either.

"Are we done yet? You two have asked the same questions multiple times now and I've given the same answers. I don't see how this is productive."

The black-eyed man stared unblinkingly, "Are you uncomfortable Miss Haruno?"

She pursed her lips, surprised by the astute observation for a moment before she remembered just who was interrogating her and chided herself for being so obvious with her intentions, she would have to be much more careful. "Whether I am or not, is not my problem Mister Uchiha."

The partner snorted again, "Oh, then what is?"

She had to bite her tongue to repress any sardonic or sarcastic remarks in return, "The fact that I am scheduled for a shift today and that this is becoming a waste time." She paused and then added, "For all of us."

The bulkier officer was definitely looking as irritated as she felt, but the man across from her showed no change in his demeanor whatsoever. It was almost as if the past few hours hadn't even happened and that she wasn't being difficult.

"I am sorry that I cannot provide you with any help in your investigation, but I truly had nothing to do with it." As long as they didn't count her knowing that it happened, but even then she didn't know of the crime until after it had taken place. Naruto was always careful to make sure she couldn't be implicated.

After a moment of silence and the Uchiha's intense gaze seeming to try to look into her soul, the man stood. He pushed the chair he'd been sitting in backward, so as to allow himself the space to move away from it, stopping only when he reached the door. "If that is the truth, then you are free to go." He pulled the metal door open wide, and motioned for her to exit the room.

Green eyes blinked in pure surprise. Uchiha Itachi had a reputation for being dogged in always catching his suspect, so either he thought she really was innocent or he didn't live up to the rumors. Or he was pulling her leg. With a flickered glance at his equally dumbfounded partner, she stood slowly and cautiously, almost expecting him to suddenly shut it.

But he didn't budge so much as an inch even as she skirted the table and moved to pass him on her way out. Before she could actually pass him though, in the blink of an eye he had her wrist manacled in the firm grip of his hand, "Don't think you're off the hook. I am well aware you aren't responsible, but knowing who was and not reporting it, that makes you an accomplice. Remember that."

She repressed the urge to swallow at the unmistakable threat because she knew if she did, the saliva would catch and that would give him the satisfaction of knowing he'd gotten to her. Sakura nodded resolutely, "I am well aware of the laws, sir, but I appreciate the reminder." And with that she tugged on her wrist to indicate she wished to have it back.

His eyes pierced hers only a moment longer, as if to solidify the importance of statement, but then just like that, he was releasing his hold on her. She was quick to retreat from him, before pivoting on her heel to head down the hallway. Away from him and his piercing eyes that saw right through her.

She was definitely going to murder her idiotic best friend.

* * *

She was no fool, he'd give her that. But at the same time, she was just as foolish as his younger brother, it seemed. Haruno Sakura took over six weeks to finally lead him back to the actually art thief. By that point, if Itachi's superiors didn't trust his judgment half as well as they did, he would have been forced to drop the woman as his lead and find a new one or be assigned to a new case. But they did trust him, explicitly, and so he was allowed the leeway to wait for her to do exactly what he expected her to.

She was sharp, careful not to be followed to where she was going, but not enough to evade him. The pink-haired woman had entered a large business building which he quickly realized was connected in a very roundabout way to Sasuke. It had stilled him for split second, just long enough for panic to seize his chest and be systematically repressed. His little brother was not an art thief, of that much he was sure. The younger man didn't like people who blatantly broke the law, and would never intentionally be one of them.

But he did have a friend. One that the younger of the two brothers had protected obstinately against his family when they had called Sasuke's friend a bad influence. His brother had even gone so far as to outright refuse his family's orders to stay away from said friend.

And that friend was none other Uzumaki Naruto, a man who had been on the FBI's radar, but unable to be implicated in any illegalities whatsoever. The man was meticulous and careful, a true prodigy at what he did.

Which meant that the only way Itachi was going to close this case with his criminal under lock and key, would be to get a testament from Haruno or his brother, depending on who knew that Uzumaki was responsible. Otherwise he had only his instincts and circumstantial evidence against the blonde. No amount of trust from his superiors would bring about a guilty charge with just that.

He knew his younger brother's connection to the conman, but he didn't know what Haruno Sakura's was. And if his brother and this woman had a mutual friend, did they know each other as well? Since the FBI agent had respected his brother's choices and decisions, he'd never seen fit to look into whom the other kept company with. Not unless Sasuke volunteered the information, of course.

In the end, he strode into the building and once more discretely looked for the pink-haired woman he'd suspected originally. There wasn't a big crowd of people. In fact everything was mostly orderly and he could clearly see the faces of everyone present. Though, that also meant that they could just as easily see him.

A trade he was willing to make in this instance, because he already had a good idea of who he was looking for. And Haruno Sakura was nowhere to be seen, anyway. He stopped at the receptionist: a bored looking blonde with blue eyes and seemingly no pupils. "Has a Haruno Sakura come through here?"

Instead of shutting him down, like he'd expected her to, she merely smiled. Not coy as he was used to from women looking to smirk, but mischievous. Like she knew something he didn't. It was a countenance he'd never liked, and almost loathed when it was directed at him. But something told him calling her on it would do him no good. So he settled for simply listening as she told him, "Sakura's on the sixth floor, farthest room on the right." Then she paused, smile turning Cheshire, "Have fun~"

For the first time in a long time, he had to repress the urge to blink in pure surprise. And for the first time since taking this case he wondered just what the hell he'd gotten himself into this time.

* * *

Sakura's phone vibrated in her back pocket, and though she'd been expecting it, she still jerked slightly in surprise. Before it even got to the second ring, she pressed the 'talk' button and had the purple cell against her ear.

"_He just got in the elevator_." And then the click of the call ending.

The pink-haired woman smiled lightly. Pivoting on her heel, she made a beeline for the bed that she'd had put in the room less than an hour prior. The room was set up like a fancy hotel suite, the stolen painting stowed away in an almost painstakingly obvious place.

After making a forgery of the artwork, Naruto had finally given way under her constantly riding his ass to do something about the situation. And though she suspected having Sasuke on her side helped more than a little, she was still happy with the outcome.

With Naruto acquiescing, the three of them concocted a plan to make sure the painting ended up in Uchiha Itachi's hands without him being able to physically prove anyone of them were capable of it. Having Sasuke doing the confirmation would just make Itachi think that he was protecting Naruto, having Naruto do it would be tantamount to asking to be handcuffed. Which left her, who he'd originally gone after in the first place. Since she had been released from custody and was not going to rat out her brother now, this seemed the safest bet.

Besides, she thought she was wonderful about leading. And she'd be lying if she said she didn't want to get payback for the irritation the FBI agent had cost her a month and a half prior. In her opinion, this was a perfect arrangement, provided it went as planned.

Not more than ten minutes after she'd seated herself on the end of the bed, there was a knock on the door. She counted to three in her head before calling that it was unlocked. The door opened slowly, revealing the cautious Uchiha, black eyes sharp. They swept the room casually after locating her in it only to refocus back on her.

He nodded curtly, "Miss Haruno."

As a doctor she didn't really care for the subtle games that FBI agents like him knew how to play so well. And as a woman, she didn't give a damn for his male pride. "Yes, I knew you were following. I wasn't idiotic enough to believe after you released me I wouldn't be seeing you again. You think Uzumaki Naruto is guilty of art theft, so you tailed me here and you didn't expect me to see it coming."

"You are close to both my brother and Uzumaki." It wasn't a question or accusation, just an observation from slightly narrowed keen eyes. Eyes that showed equal parts caution and amusement, but no surprise. But she'd already faced him once, and just because she wasn't in custody this time around didn't make her any less wary.

She paused for a moment, deciding whether or not to own up to that, no matter if he already knew it was true. Finally, she simply shrugged. "True or not, that's not why I led you here."

"Then why did you?" At least they weren't beating around the bush anymore, even if he was still analyzing her every time she opened her mouth or moved even slightly.

Again she shrugged, "Because…" no reason that wouldn't implicate her or her best friends came to mind and she shook her head. Offering him a small smile. "I'm not a fan of lawbreakers, and I do like art. Can't say I have any talent for it…" she paused "or that I even know one artist from the next."

He raised one elegant eyebrow, black eyes flicking to the corner of the room where a desk chair was. Sauntering over, he retrieved it and pulled it in front of her to settle lightly in it - all without turning his back on her.

The subtle call on her bluff made her chuckle softly because it was a response she'd seen in Sasuke many a time. "Okay fine, I know Michelangelo's _Sistine Chapel_ and Picasso's work."

She didn't shy from his intense gaze. But after a long moment she did stand, grabbing her purse as she did so. "I'm also no fan of lying, so my apology for inadvertently doing so. Raphael's came into my position after you had me brought in." True as it was, she knew of it beforehand so she was still lying by omission.

Black eyes narrowed slightly, "And you thought you'd be courteous enough to bring it to me."

She smiled, "In a roundabout way. I'm not going to just hand it over to you, though."

"Oh?"

With a happy grin, she headed towards the door. Sakura brushed right past him on her way, but this time when he stopped her all he did was lock gazes. His dark eyes were almost all consuming in their intensity, in a way that she'd never seen before. Not even from Sasuke. They were full of emotions running into each other and over lapping, but all were so faint that making them out was like making out the words of a completely foreign language.

This time around, she swallowed. Hard.

For the first time she realized that she was in over her head in dealing with him. She knew he was Sasuke's elder brother, which already made him someone to be on full alert around. Now she realized just how careful she should be around this man.

And if she had the choice, she was never crossing paths with him again.

Then he released her arm and stepped back, looking more satisfied than a content cat, which was still more than she had originally planned before this meeting had even started.

Without bothering to wait for the go-ahead from him, she pivoted on her heel and scurried out of the room as fast she could.

Once the door was closed, she felt back at square one: wanting Naruto dead for getting her into such a sticky mess.


	69. 128 Boat: Named

**Title:** Moments in Time: A Close Up

**Author:** AppleL0V3R

**Beta-reader:** SymphoniaFreak

**Fandom:** Naruto

**Pairing:** Uchiha, Itachi and Haruno, Sakura

**Chapter:** Sixty-Nine – #128 Boat: Named

**Rating:** T

**Type:** One-shot – Complete

**Summary:** Prompts from Moments in Time that I was requested to expand on. 69. 128 – Boat: Named. It was Sakura's opinion that all good boats had a great name. She just needed to decide on one.

**Word Count:** 1,465

**Disclaimer:** If you've heard of it before, then it's obviously not mine.

**Note:** As the summary states these were skits I was asked to turn into actually works. I will always put which one it was and the skit just before the chapter. They won't be in numerical order because I'm doing them as I'm requested. They won't be any more than one-shots though they may become two to five –shots (I will forewarn when that happens) but they won't become stories unless I choose to.

**Request by:** theonesakura

**Edited on:** November 28, 2011

* * *

128. Boat (Sakura)

"How about…_Weasel Cherries_?"

Silence.

"Yeah, you're right, a bit weird, right? Hmmm how about…_Shinobi_."

More silence.

"Kay, I actually like that one so we're going to throw it in the 'maybe' pile." She stayed quiet for a moment, staring at the thing as if trying to get an idea out of it. As if staring at it'd irritate or intimidate the million pieces of wood and steel into giving her a proper name.

"Mine."

She blinked and looked at the tall dark and quiet man beside her. "What?"

"Why don't we name it _Mine?_"

She paused and blinked again. "_Mine_…" she said as if to try it out as she stared at the average-sized sea fairing thing – was it a boat or a ship? Then she grinned, nodding. "Perfect."

* * *

Sakura wasn't much for constructing anything with her hands, it didn't matter what size or shape. She could do as much planning as she liked, but it didn't change the fact that when she tried to put it together, things usually didn't work out like she wanted them to.

Which is why, when her husband suggested a boat building project, she had been hesitant to agree. But Itachi was always in some other city on another case, so the promise of doing something from start to finish together no matter how long it took pushed her into agreeing. Her lover, however, never started small. Instead of a little boat-in-a-bottle sized creation, he took her out to multiple docks to search for a design that applied to them. And that made her wonder if she'd made the right choice in agreeing with her very persuasive spouse.

Of course, that didn't last very long between his ambitious nature and her head-strong tendencies, and the simple belief that Itachi never told her anything that he didn't mean. So she'd listened as he laid out how they were going to go about accomplishing this task of theirs. First would be picking a design that they both liked, but wasn't too elaborate to tackle as their first project. Then would be blue printing everything down to the last detail, and getting all the necessary material. Finally they would put it all together, part by part.

After the fifth dock they'd moseyed through, she'd wondered yet again if it was such a good idea. Or maybe they should just wing it, which is what she would have originally done. But her love was nitpicky, preferring that everything was perfect or nearly so, and winging it didn't always guarantee that. But since he was adamant, she let him continually persuade her into going again and again, not allowing her to settle on any one design unless she was truly happy with it.

Three weeks into the first stage, as they sauntered down yet another dock to look at the massive sea vessels, one caught her eye. She paused and squeezed the hand within her grasp, causing him to stop as well and give her a curious look. She nodded toward the only one that she'd truly liked thus far. Black eyes were unblinking as he considered it before finally nodding. Sakura grinned up at him for a moment before pulling him towards the white creation in search of the owner of it.

As it turned out, that specific boat had been an older model compared to most of the modern ones, and she began to fall in love with the design the more she saw of it. Question after question passed her lips as she explored with her husband who was content to simply be pulled this way and that. The fisherman who owned it had sent Itachi an amused glance more than once because of his take-charge lover, and in turn he'd gotten a simple shrug or agreeable gesture. After all, he was well aware that once his feisty lover got into something, she didn't even think of letting go before she was satisfied. It was one of the many characteristics that had first made him take notice of her.

And so with the finding of the boat, they could quickly progress into the next stage: planning. Neither of them were architects for a good reason, but after observing the boat many times over and with more than a few books at their disposal, they'd started in on it. It had taken them both many sketches before it started look as it should have, and from there another two weeks to make it as detailed as possible, until they were both satisfied with it.

Leaving only putting it all together, after they'd gotten all the materials that the fisherman had told them they would need if they were serious about this project of theirs. By that point, Sakura was almost overly enthused to get to the building process, all reservations long gone. He'd forewarned her that it might take a few tries to get it to look like their blueprints, but she'd promised not to be discouraged no matter how long it took.

And it certainly took quite a while. Several times they'd had to backtrack or take something apart because of a miscalculation. Sometimes even when they got it to what they'd planned she didn't like it and so they'd have to rework both it and the blueprints. And a portion of the time also went to them getting distracting by either each other or something else. All of it and the time it would have taken originally meant it took nearly half a year to put the whole thing together.

Once it was done and they had it down at a dock to admire it, she was more than happy. The time she'd gotten to spend with her husband had been something she would forever remember, and this boat would always be a representation of that.

He wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, dark eyes also on the sea vessel.

"We finished it." She murmured, not quite disbelieving, but not truly believing either.

He hummed softly, she loved the feel of the vibration that made its way down her spine with it. "Not just yet."

She paused, blinking in confusion and tipped her head backwards to give him a look of curiosity. "Did we forget something?" Itachi raised an eyebrow and shook his head, and she rolled her eyes in turn at the so very _Itachi_ action that told her that they hadn't forgotten something, but _she_ had. "Okay. Fine, what did _I_ forget."

"A name."

Again she blinked. Looked at the boat, then back at him. Finally she glanced around, seeing black lettering on a good portion of the others she laughed. "A name, huh?" She felt more than saw him nod. "How about…_Weasel Cherries_?"

Silence.

"Yeah, you're right, a bit weird, right? Hmmm how about…_Shinobi_."

More silence.

"Kay, I actually like that one so we're going to throw it in the 'maybe' pile." She stayed quiet for a moment, staring at the thing as if trying to get an idea out of it. As if staring at it'd irritate or intimidate the million pieces of wood and steel into giving her a proper name.

"_Mine_."

She blinked and looked at the tall dark and quiet man beside her. "What?"

"Why don't we name it _Mine_?"

She paused and blinked again. "_Mine_…" she said as if to try it out as she stared at the average-sized sea fairing thing – boat, it was a boat. Then she grinned, nodding. "Perfect."

She continued to look at it with contented green eyes. _Mine_, not only would the boat itself be a reminder to the time they'd spent together, the name too would be a symbol of them. It would be theirs. And she definitely loved that.


	70. 139 March: Three

**Title:** Moments in Time: A Close Up

**Author:** AppleL0V3R

**Beta-reader:** Terror-Of-The-Crimson-Night

**Fandom:** Naruto

**Pairing:** Uchiha, Itachi and Haruno, Sakura

**Chapter:** Seventy – #139 March: Three

**Rating:** T

**Type:** One-shot – Complete

**Summary:** Prompts from Moments in Time that I was requested to expand on. 70. 139 – March: Three. By now, Itachi realizes that he must make a choice.

**Word Count:** 2,045

**Disclaimer:** If you've heard of it before, then it's obviously not mine.

**Note:** As the summary states these were skits I was asked to turn into actually works. I will always put which one it was and the skit just before the chapter. They won't be in numerical order because I'm doing them as I'm requested. They won't be any more than one-shots though they may become two to five –shots (I will forewarn when that happens) but they won't become stories unless I choose to.

I am very surprised that no one pointed out my mistake in either January or February. I realized that for it to be January and Sakura already born, she would have been almost ten months old. So if I were to keep to what I did in February, she would have been walking _before_ Itachi came into the picture, not after. Since no one cared enough to point that particular mistake out, I'm simply going to gloss over it with this note as my only acknowledgement of it (especially since I'm only half a year or so off anyway)

I was originally going to follow the paragraph in the skit for March to the T, but after I finished with all of Itachi's careful observing and analysis, I decided that the drabble's ending would have to suffice for the details of what happens after. Because I feel that the scene between Itachi and Sakura for her birthday, if I were to do it, would be too sharp a contrast to the beginning of the chapter and it most likely wouldn't be long enough to feel like anything other than an add-on. So, my apologies, but this one-shot isn't expanding on the drabble any more than it already has.

**Request by:** Anime Freak456 and theonesakura

139. March (Itachi)

The third month.

Itachi is ten now. Which means Sasuke is five and he's already begun to take up the Uchiha attitude and that Itachi has too many responsibilities to even try to do anything about it. He passed the chunin exams not too long ago and Fugaku is pushing him for ANBU which has caused more than one argument between his parents. Sakura gets more like a pixie everyday, so much so that he decided to get her a simple necklace with the kanji for fairy on it. She'll love it, he knows, but he has to wait for her birthday to come before he can give it to her. Though it seems that not too long after – probably even the next day – he will have to leave for ANBU training and so he has to savor the time he has left with her.

The first few days after the third round were the hardest for him. It was the first time he'd had to cope with the fact that someone wasn't just dead, or that he'd seen them die – but that he'd been responsible for someone's death. He killed another human being.

It was a tough enough pill to swallow, but that it was the third stage of the Chunnin Exams made it all the harder. He knew bloodshed was expected, that the proctor had said the matched ended when one or both of them was either incapacitated or dead. He'd been ready to do what he had to, just like always. But the pacifist in him had greatly protested the idea of taking someone else's life.

But in the end he had killed his opponent, and then he was promoted to chunnin. His family hadn't even mentioned the death of his opponent, only that he had done well; he'd done what was expected of him. The very thought of it still sickened him to his stomach. His father hadn't congratulated him; instead he had stated that Itachi was making good progress and that he would be expected to enter ANBU soon enough thereafter. His little brother at the young age of five had looked up to him with admiration and barely quelled excitement, and had even told him that Sasuke wanted to be just as good as his aniki some day. The ten-year-old boy had felt his gut twist and clench at the notion that his brother had unknowingly told him that he wanted to be a killer too.

His mother though, the proud Uchiha matriarch had stood back with veiled eyes. She hadn't dared to show the sadness that he knew plagued her at that moment; she hadn't dared to try to comfort him and tell him that he'd had to. But Itachi's black eyes were sharp enough and his mind quick enough to understand that she wanted to, and he had no doubt she would have if it had been just them. That had been more than enough for him, to know he had her silent support just like always. He was his mother's son, after all. And he wasn't about to forget that any time soon, even in the face of this new turmoil.

When he'd finally gotten a moment to himself he'd agonized over whether to seek out Little Sakura or not. She had always been able to calm him and soothe his wounds. But right then, morality weighed heavily on his conscious and he wasn't quite sure he deserved to have his turbulent emotions settled for any space of time. That was all the cold and tactical part of him needed to but in and whisper that he shouldn't be reliant on a child to take him from his pain, even temporarily. That was a notion he'd wrestled with for a years after meeting her, and eventually he had come to the conclusion that he didn't need her to calm him and make his world okay again, and so he had let it be.

Now reviewed his decision, did he need Sakura to soothe his pain before it went away? He thought of all the emotions that stemmed from him killing someone else; all the emotions that stemmed from his family's dismissive attitude about his actions. He turned them over in his mind, deciding whether or not that was something he could handle on his own. He debated the whole way home and even after dinner, which he barely ate. Itachi thought it over well into the night, feeling the need to have a solid answer to that, but unable to come to a conclusion that he believed beyond a shade of a doubt.

So he decided that the only way to be sure, was to find her and assess his reaction. Then, and only then, would he know if he was dependant on the young child.

The next day, he headed to her home before the sun was up and his family could entangle him in something else that would ensnare him too long. Itachi still end up passing his mother on the way out, but she hadn't stopped him longer than to tell him to be safe and be home soon. In turn, he had told her that he would be mindful, that he didn't intend to be out long anyway.

The path to Sakura's house was a familiar one he had made several times and it went by quickly, but once he arrived at the doorway he found himself hesitant. The possibility that he was indeed reliant on the child was one that he wasn't sure what he would do with. He knew distance would be best until the fact wasn't true anymore, but he'd grown very fond of her and didn't like the idea of living her for too long a period of time. She was a constant in his life that he didn't want to relinquish.

In the end, it was pushed aside and he rapped his knuckles on the wood twice, waiting only a moment before opening the door and entering the house. It was still homey like it had been years before when he first came inside, but the evidence of an only child in her toddler years were evident by the children's book on the table and the box of toys in a corner. The house wasn't still, but it was silent, telling that its occupants weren't yet up and about, something he had counted on.

Kano and Koko were long past caring when he entered or left their home, so long as he was thoughtful of when he did.

The big business man and his petite wife had as much as adopted him as their own within years of his frequent visits. They understood that he would always have his traditional Uchiha clan as priority when it came to celebrations and events, but they never failed to give him a few gifts on his birthday or invite them to their own family plans. And no matter how welcoming and clearly loving they still were, it never ceased to warm his heart and make him thankful when they expressed it. It was such a rarity in his strict home life and ruthless career path, that he enjoyed it as much as possible every time the chance presented itself.

He padded silently on the wooden floorboards, turning down the hallway and pausing only long enough to open the door once he was outside Sakura's room. The young child was fast asleep in her bed, the covers strewn at a scrunch up diagonal across her small body; cover her from torso to kneecap but no further. Her legs were stacked atop each other and bent, but midway down her calves they crossed with one foot going outward and one pulled closer to her body. Despite her legs being in this position, she was almost flat on her back, one arm thrown across her midsection and the other bent at the elbow and placed on the pillow near her head. Short pink hair was splayed across her cream-colored pillowcase and her lips were slightly parted, but she made no sound as she breathed softly.

The sight was one that instantly invaded is heart, and he stared for a moment longer than necessary to etch it into his memory. That should have given him his answer, or the telling way he approached carefully, not wanting to run the chance of waking her. He stopped at her bedside and sat almost delicately in the space that her body wasn't sprawled on and simply watched her with keen, quite eyes. The feelings of protectiveness and fondness quickly rising to take hold.

But he paid them no heed as he turned his thoughts to the chunnin exams and what he had done, to his family and what they wanted of them. Reaching out, he fingered her cheek without applying any pressure at all. A smile twitched at her lips, but otherwise she showed no signs of stirring. The hardships in his life were only beginning, but something about this little one had a calming effect on him. So he asked himself once more, was he dependant on her to stay emotionally stable in rough times?

He watched her for a long moment, having her literally at his fingertips and let the answer come to mind. His subconscious said no. No, he did not need her to live and stay sane; he did not need her to take his pain away when it seemed overbearing. And not just because he was unwilling to think it true, but simply because it wasn't. Sakura was a luxury that he'd found ways to continually keep in his life, it was his own choice that he held on to her. He could exist without her, he simply refused let that be a possibility.

And that was answer enough for him. So he withdrew his hand and stayed to watch her only a moment longer before leaving for the main house in the Uchiha compound as silently as he'd come.


	71. 122 Loveable: Seduction 101

**Title:** Moments in Time: A Close Up

**Author:** AppleL0V3R

**Beta-reader:** SymphoniaFreak

**Fandom:** Naruto

**Pairing:** Uchiha Itachi and Haruno Sakura

**Chapter:** Seventy-One – #122 Loveable: Seduction 101

**Rating:** T

**Type:** One-shot – Complete

**Summary:** Prompts from Moments in Time that I was requested to expand on. 71. 122 – Loveable: Seduction 101. Having a boyfriend like Itachi means she ought to know how.

**Word Count:** 1,205

**Disclaimer:** If you've heard of it before, then it's obviously not mine.

**Note:** As the summary states these were skits I was asked to turn into actually works. I will always put which one it was and the skit just before the chapter. They won't be in numerical order because I'm doing them as I'm requested. They won't be any more than one-shots though they may become two to five –shots (I will forewarn when that happens) but they won't become stories unless I choose to.

**Request by:** Anime Freak456 and Canned Ham

**Edited on:** December 3, 2011

* * *

122. Loveable (Sakura)

She allowed her eyelids to fall until she was looking at him through half-lidded eyes. She made sure to angle her face just so that she could create the image of also looking up at him through her long dark green-black eyelashes. She curled her lips and shifted her posture so that all of her screamed coyly flirtatious.

When a look of pure amusement crossed his face, she knew immediately she had failed.

Dropping the whole act all together she huffed and stopped her foot. "Damn. I'm never going to get this."

With a chuckle, he shook his head and then wrapped his arms around her waist. "Why do you need to? You look best like this."

She rolled her laughing eyes and kissed him.

* * *

One of Itachi's favorite things when it came to his girlfriend was watching her try her best at being coy. It simply didn't suit the pink-haired young woman who was built more for genuine and upfront affection as opposed to seduction. Not that he was unaffected; he simply found himself more turned on by her trying and failing to seduce him. What he loved most was her unabashed show of attraction and passion for him; nothing got him moving towards her faster, or pushing them both towards the nearest soft surface.

He watched her with barely concealed amusement as she tried a different approach to her ongoing attempts. After the third try, he'd begun to wonder where these ideas of hers were coming from, and hadn't seen any reason not to simply ask her. She'd blushed prettily, and shrugged almost self consciously as she told him that her sister loved to gossip about her own sex life as well as giving tips. He'd hummed and smirked slightly, unable to get rid of the thought that it meant that there was probably more in store. But since it wasn't some other man teaching her and merely a sister who talked too much – he'd been introduced to Ino, the Yamanaka could talk someone's ears off thrice over and still keep going – he didn't particularly mind.

And so it had turned into his new favorite past time of sorts.

Right then, she was clearly about to try her hand at it again; her green eyes were far too telling. And that was part of why it didn't work for her. She didn't conceal her emotions, but left them on her sleeve, and so there was no mystery of seduction to be had. Just certainty that she loved him dearly, and that never failed to warm his own heart.

The shift in her intent was almost tangibly sharp as she went from relaxed and cuddled around him as they watched a movie. It had just gone to commercial and he had to admit that he hadn't expected her to pick that moment for her newest plan. But he merely watched silently as she turned to him. She'd been halfway in his lap as it was, and while turning, she had managed to crawl completely onto it.

Her eyelids fell halfway, creating the illusion of looking through her eyelashes, but she had also tipped her head to make sure he could see those emerald eyes clearly. They were slightly darker than normal, but he knew she couldn't flick the necessary amount of lust for seduction on like a switch, and so the setting was already ruined before it could begin. A coy smile curled her lips, managing to look more like a smirk than an actual smile, and she moved her body deliberately to make her posture provocative.

Deciding he could admire that in a moment, he let his amusement at her failed attempt show on his countenance, and it only increased when she slipped straight into pouting like a sullen child. She even went so far as to huff and stomp the one foot she still had on the floor. "Damn. I'm never going to get this."

He didn't bother to repress his chuckle as he wrapped his arms around her waist. "Why do you need to? You look best like this." She was so full of life and affection. He couldn't think of a better look for her.

She rolled those laughing green eyes of hers and leaned up to kiss him softly. He smiled into the kiss, pressing back with expressed emotion. He hummed with satisfaction, pulling back only when he was certain he had managed to kiss her thoroughly and then admired his handy-work. Her eyes were half-lidded once more, but this time it wasn't for intentional seductiveness. Instead they were glazed with passion so blatantly displayed. She was pliant in his arms, her body melding easily against his.

He couldn't help but smile genuinely, more than content with her love for him shown for all the world to see without reservation. Dipping his head, he pressed a light kiss to her forehead by way of showing his return of that emotion. Then he shifted her in his lap so that she was sideways across it, her legs bent over his thigh and her feet tucked behind his. He turned her so that her shoulder rested just past his chest and her head was cradled at the base of his neck.

"Itachi?"

"Yes, Sakura."

"Do you really think I'm better off not trying to be seductive?"

He paused, deliberating. She truly could go without it, but he didn't mind her honest attempts at pleasing him so he shook his head. "You don't need to be seductive, Sa-ku-ra. You are more than enough just as you are, affectionate and loveable."

She tipped her head back so she could see his face, and he could see the gears turning in her mind. They stayed like that for a space of time before she finally glanced at the TV. She brightened with a contented smile. "Oh good, it's back on."

Her smile softened when he laughed softly. Her gaze flicked back to him. "I love you, Itachi."

He wouldn't have his life with his petite girlfriend any other way than it was in that moment. "I love you, too, Sakura."

And he knew her well enough to know that she wasn't finished attempting coy yet.


	72. 143 Gay: Misconception

**Title:** Moments in Time: A Close Up

**Author:** AppleL0V3R

**Beta-reader:** SymphoniaFreak

**Fandom:** Naruto

**Pairing:** Uchiha Itachi and Haruno Sakura

**Chapter:** Seventy-Two – #143 Gay: Misconception.

**Rating:** T

**Type:** One-shot – Complete

**Summary:** Prompts from Moments in Time that I was requested to expand on. 72. 143 – Gay: Misconception. Itachi couldn't believe it. He'd fallen in love with someone who thought he was _gay_?

**Word Count:** 3,110

**Disclaimer:** If you've heard of it before, then it's obviously not mine.

**Note:** As the summary states these were skits I was asked to turn into actual works. I will always put which one it was and the skit just before the chapter. They won't be in numerical order because I'm doing them as I'm requested. They won't be any more than one-shots though they may become two to five –shots (I will forewarn when that happens) but they won't become stories unless I choose to.

Fair warning, I didn't like this one. I feel like I did a lot of telling the beginning, the middle went well, but the ending…too cheesy, I don't even know if it feels realistic. Though, the cheesiness is probably due to watching five Christmas movies back-to-back.

**Request by:** Anime Freak456, child of a fallen angel, Fuai, Uzumaki. Arashi .67, theonesakura and The-Hatter44

**Edited on:** December 24, 2011

* * *

143. Gay (Itachi)

He blinked at her in surprise. Surely, she hadn't just insinuated what he thought she had. "Pardon?"

She didn't back down though, merely tilted her head, pink eyebrows drawing in confusion. "I said: 'you do realize I'm a girl, right?'"

Of course he did. He nodded almost numbly. "And a very attractive one."

She smiled. "Thanks, but seriously, what are you doing hitting on me?" It wasn't obvious? "I mean, aren't you gay?"

He stared at her in stunned shock because, yes, she had insinuated what he'd thought she had. Narrowing his black eyes he took a step forward. "And what would give you that idea?"

She shrugged. "That's a long list."

He couldn't believe her. Couldn't believe himself. He'd fallen in love with someone who thought he was _gay_?

* * *

Sakura, Itachi had learned a long time ago, was an easy person to fall in step with. Metaphorically, of course. It wasn't that her pace was slow, just that she subconsciously made the people around her feel like they were on the same level as her because she was just that easy to get along with. At first, he'd found the concept intriguing after hearing about her from his brother. But when he met her himself, he realized the youngest of the brothers was not exaggerating even in the slightest.

He didn't know what it was about the pink-haired girl, but the aura she gave off was always pleasant and welcoming, her smile warm, but not obnoxiously friendly. She didn't go out of her way to meet new people, but she was open to them if they chose to speak to her. She was full of knowledge, so classmates tended to ask her for help since she found a way to put the subject at hand in understandable terms without making the person she was helping feel dumb. No matter which way he looked at her, she seemed like one of those perfect people who seemed to know exactly what to do and when to do it.

So he decided to expand his circle of friends just one more person and at least get to know this ever so interesting girl.

It was simple at first; he didn't have to ask for her number or even to hang out with her. Whenever she was in the vicinity and wasn't otherwise occupied, she would find him and strike up a conversation. If she was busy, he would gravitate towards her and wait because she always got back to him. Should he ever need to find her, she was usually at school or working at a small local café. If she wasn't at either place, then she was home or with friends.

With those simple snippets of time on both their parts, he'd learned more about her. Mostly mundane things: her favorite beverage or food, her favorite color and why, the music she liked to listen to, the books she'd read recently, favorite movies, that sort of thing. After a few months, he could have easily answered any question about the basics of who Haruno Sakura was, but his interest was far from sated. With her, each new finding brought another question to investigate.

They talked about day-to-day subjects, ranging from weather to plans to simply how their respective days had gone.

Then out of the blue, Sakura had mentioned how they spent a lot of time together, even if it was in tidbits on a nearly daily basis, and she proceeded to ask for his phone number. She figured it would make it easier for her to talk to him whenever and about whatever she wanted, and since he had been far from opposed to the idea, he had asked for hers in return.

Having each other's phone numbers led to spending even more time together because she would spontaneously ask him if he wanted to go somewhere with her or do something together. She seemed to have the uncanny ability to pick the times when he wasn't busy with college or family, and so he made a habit of taking up her up on those offers as much as possible.

Over the many months of seeing each other and talking daily, he realized that somewhere along the way interest had turned to attraction. The epiphany had left him stunned and uncertain of what to do; he didn't want to stop spending time with her, but he didn't know how to act while around her either. At first, he'd assumed if he acted like attraction didn't exist, then there wouldn't be a problem. But it took her less than a couple days to ask him why he was acting oddly. He'd evaded the question with nothing more than a concerned look from her, fortunately for him.

He tried simply communicating with her slightly less, but she seemed all the more eager to spend time with him when they did, and it left him aching to think she felt like she had to make up for time he'd purposely missed. It didn't help that the more he tried to stay away from her, the more he wanted to contact her.

This left him with no other option than to act normally and hope she stayed oblivious to how his interest had gone from curious to romantic. At least until he figured out how to both sort out what he was feeling and why, as well as how to approach her with it. He didn't want the relationship they had then to be ruined because his intentions towards her were more than they had been at the start.

And he succeeded for a while, but then he foresaw a change. Not because she had figured out that he liked her as more than a friend, but because he realized that she was getting more and more interested in finding a long term boyfriend. If he didn't say anything, there was the possibility that she would end up living the rest of her life, blissfully ignorant of his feelings, with some guy that wasn't him.

He wasn't going to let that happen. He'd put up with not saying anything because he knew she cherished their relationship as it was. But he knew he couldn't sit back and watch her date other guys, let alone contemplate marrying them.

With his decision, he found himself in need of a plan; that meant talking to Sasuke. He may have known Sakura from the countless hours and occasions they'd spent together, but his brother had known her much longer and would have a general idea of how the situation should be approached.

* * *

It was almost curious how quickly the younger of the two brothers reacted whenever the older was in the vicinity. Especially when said older brother was approaching with every intention of getting answers to whatever questions he had.

Sasuke knew better than to even try to find an escape route though because Itachi always won. Evading Itachi was like ignoring a deadline that had to be met: running would only bring it that much closer.

Instead, Itachi watched with barely concealed amusement as his brother went from relaxed to grouchy in almost a flash. In the back of his mind, he idled over the fact that his brother used unpleasant approaches as defense mechanisms for situations he didn't want to be in. It was a good tactic, but there would always be a certain few with thick skins, and for one reason or another, Sasuke seemed to forget that his entire family was part of that statistic.

But approaches to unwanted situations could wait for later; he was seeking out his brother for a reason. And that reason was how to get Sakura to go on a date with him. If he could do that, he was certain he could handle the rest much more easily.

"Aniki." He greeted cordially, the look in his eyes telling Itachi that his little brother had an inkling of what was coming.

There were multiple ways he could go about this, but this was his little brother. And the straight path would be the best. "Sakura dates."

He got a sarcastic snort in response. "Sakura is a girl. In college. Of course she dates." After a moment and a raised eyebrow on the elder brother's part, Sasuke rolled his eyes. "You want to date her." It wasn't a question.

Itachi nodded, knowing the younger male was smart enough to draw the conclusion that he was supposed to. The affirmation of this knowledge came in the form of an irate glare and more grouchiness. It made the eldest son of the family wonder when his astute little brother was going to learn that no amount of prickliness was going to offset him from something that he wanted. Especially not when it had anything to do with Sakura.

"Fine. But I'm warning you now, Aniki: don't hurt her. You should know by how attached she can get and how breakable she really is, so don't even think about doing anything to upset her."

Dark eyes stared at their younger counterpart nonchalantly; he already knew this and had no intention of doing any such thing, accidentally or otherwise. He also knew that this was Sasuke's last-ditch-effort before he gave in and told Itachi everything he wanted to know.

"Sakura likes someone she can connect with." He continued to stay passive patiently because he would hear something that he didn't know eventually. Rushing Sasuke was liable to make him even grouchier and less willing to give Itachi the information he sought. "But you already know that." His younger brother paused, his gaze turning analytical as he locked gazes. "It's easy to catch Sakura's attention, but if you can keep her focus, then you already stand a good chance. The best way to separate yourself from being her friend and being her boyfriend is affection. She's very affectionate, and she's learned that the amount of affection she is shown in turn is how close she is to someone. Treat how you want her to see you."

Itachi froze at that last sentence. He'd never thought of her quite like that. Sure, he knew Sakura wore her heart on her sleeve, but he hadn't realized that she also paid attention to how much she was getting back. And he already had the beginnings of a plan of how to go about using this new knowledge.

* * *

In all reality, his plan was fairly simplistic. After all, there was nothing complicated about just telling her that he was romantically interested in her and would like her to go out on a date with him. At the very least, she would say yes because she tended to at least give her suitors a chance. From there he would prove that he was the only one for her and then it wouldn't be a matter he would have to worry about ever again.

Simple indeed.

But the first step was taking longer than he thought it would on account of not being able to find the pink-haired young woman. He knew she was around; she just seemed to be incredibly busy as of late. Granted, he also should have considered that she was starting another semester of school and she had picked up a second job.

He knew with absolute certainty that she wasn't avoiding him because she always answered when he called or messaged her, and her responses weren't any different. His problem was that he was continually just missing her every time he sought her out.

It took him a week to finally catch up with her, but it was clear even before he approached her that she was in transit. He refused to let the chance slip by, however, so he got to her as quickly as possible. She paused for only moment, but then smiled and greeted him. "Itachi! I've been so busy we haven't had any time together. How have you been?"

He was there for a reason and it wasn't small talk like she had a habit of making, whether she intended to or not. "Sakura. Will you go out with me?"

She stopped in her tracks and turned to him, but the expression on her face was not even close to what he would have expected. A light frown borne of confusion curled at her lips and her pink eyebrows drew together as she tilted her head and looked at him with expressive, green eyes. "You do realize that I'm a girl, right?"

He blinked at her in surprise. Surely, she hadn't just insinuated what he thought she had. "Pardon?"

She didn't back down though, merely tilted her head, pink eyebrows drawing in confusion. "I said: 'you do realize I'm a girl, right?'"

Of course he did. He nodded almost numbly. "And a very attractive one."

She smiled, it was one that he'd seen many times when she was complemented but not flustered about it. "Thanks, but seriously, what are you doing hitting on me?" It wasn't obvious? "I mean, aren't you gay?"

He stared at her in stunned shock because, yes, she had insinuated what he'd thought she had. Narrowing his black eyes he took a step forward. "And what would give you that idea?"

She shrugged. "That's a long list."

He couldn't believe her. Couldn't believe himself. He'd fallen in love with someone who thought he was _gay_?

Forcing the shock back, he tried to think of a way to convincingly set her straight. "A list?" He moved so that he was in front of her, effectively making sure she wasn't going anywhere.

Her pink eyebrows were still drawn, but now she simply looked confused; she still hummed in agreement. "Yeah. Honestly, Itachi, from a distance and without knowing better, you almost _look_ feminine."

This was definitely not going how he thought it would. Worst case scenario was that she said no and didn't want anything to do with him. At least, he'd thought so, but now? He wasn't sure if this was better or worse. "You've mentioned that, but _almost_ looking feminine _from a distance_ doesn't mean I don't prefer to date women."

She winced, her countenance turning completely to apologetic. "That's not exactly what I meant, Itachi. I mean…" she sighed and shook her head. "I don't mean to offend you, honest I don't."

His male pride was still smarting, but he nodded anyway. Knowing she was sincere didn't exactly make things better, but it did take the any aggravation out of the situation. "That is only one point, a list implies more." Might as well hear the whole thing and get over with.

She nodded almost numbly, looking more and more hesitant about continuing this conversation. "Well, you mention dating, but…when was the last time you did date?"

He frowned, knowing it had been a while, but that didn't mean anything other than the asexuality that his mother jokingly accused him of every now and again. "That wouldn't indicate that I wasn't straight."

Again she cringed and nodded her agreement. "Itachi, I'm sorry, none of this is coming out right. I swear, I'm not trying to insult you."

He watched her for a few minutes. In the back of his he knew she was only trying to be honest; and that whatever had given her the idea that he wasn't straight didn't truly matter to him anyway. And if he were being perfectly honest with himself, nothing she said right then affected the fact that he was still head over heels for her. "I know."

She shuffled her weight between her feet and glanced down at them more than once. When she finally met his eyes again, she was biting her bottom lip in that nervous way of hers. The expression threw him because he could see no reason for her to be suddenly anxious over something.

And then he put two and two together. Shuffling feet, biting her lip, they were all tell tale signs of –

"Itachi, I…it was completely rude of me to assume something like that without actually asking you. Will you let me make it up to you, by I don't know, going out and doing something?"

He felt his eyebrows shoot up as he found himself surprised. He saw the irony of the situation: she just been confronted about assuming he was gay and now she was assuming that he might want to go on a date with her. But at least the latter was true and he'd never been the vindictive kind, especially not when it came to her.

He came here to ask her on a date, and no misconception was going to change that. "No." Before the stunned shock could fade and turn into embarrassment covered in bluster, he closed the space between them. "If you really want to apologize, let me take you out on a date."

The look morphed into a different kind of shock as her widened green eyes blinked a few times until they were almost their normal size. After a moment of complete silence, she managed to nod almost numbly.

He smiled softly; now that he got the ball rolling he knew that he stood a chance of making sure she didn't date anyone else.


	73. 145 Music: Partner

**Title:** Moments in Time: A Close Up

**Author:** AppleL0V3R

**Beta-reader:** SymphoniaFreak

**Fandom:** Naruto

**Pairing:** Uchiha Itachi and Haruno Sakura

**Chapter:** Seventy-Three – #145 Music: Partner.

**Rating:** T

**Type:** One-shot – Complete

**Summary:** Prompts from Moments in Time that I was requested to expand on. 73. 145 – Music: Partner. Sakura was so sure her stick-in-the-mud boyfriend didn't know how to dance.

**Word Count:** 1,515

**Disclaimer:** If you've heard of it before, then it's obviously not mine.

**Note:** As the summary states these are skits I was asked to turn into actual works. I will always put which one it was and the skit just before the chapter. They won't be in numerical order because I'm doing them as I'm requested. They won't be any more than one-shots though they may become two to five –shots (I will forewarn when that happens) but they won't become stories unless I choose to.

**Request by:** theonesakura and mUmaRhz

**Edited on:** January 17, 2012

* * *

145. Music (Itachi)

The words washed over him loud and lulling, but he didn't bother to hear what they actually were as he allowed the beat to move him. First swaying, and then actually moving. His body sifting and relaxed, letting the beat move him where it wanted to and the rhythm set his pace.

It was rare when he chose to dance, and most believed that because of his stiff demeanor he didn't know how to. But he was determined to show her anyway he could that he was capable of just as much languidness as she was.

And he knew he was doing a good job of it when he felt her body brush up against his continuously, following his lead as she, too, lost herself to the music.

* * *

Her green eyes were big as she tried to pull that puppy dog look of hers. Normally, such faces didn't work on him; if he didn't want to budge, then he wasn't going to. But considering this was his pretty little girlfriend who was asking, he chose to concede. Besides, hadn't he told her not too long ago when she'd been poking fun at him, that he could dance just as good, perhaps even better, than she could? So why not prove it now since she hadn't seemed to completely believe him at the time?

So between that and her puppy dog look, he decided he'd budge on this one.

Leaning down slightly, he let his lips brush the shell of her ear. "You should go get ready then."

He smirked, letting his eyes become half lidded as he allowed himself to bask in the sound of her breath hitching in her throat followed by a sharp intake, and knew instinctively that she was smiling widely. Her small arms wrapped around his shoulders and she pulled him into a tight hug, kissing his cheek as she murmured her thanks.

Itachi nodded, pulling back so that she would have the space to skirt him and dash for her bedroom while he settled into the loveseat in her living room. He'd been in her home so many times; he knew it almost as well as he knew his own. Sakura was vibrant, but her home showed muted colors that gave the place a homey feel. It wasn't spick and span because she felt more comfortable when there were a few things out of place or something on the coffee table. Lived in, she said, was much better than spotless. So he had learned to simply leave her to her ways without interference.

In less than fifteen minutes, she was skittering back into the living room and making a beeline for the hall closet. With her back turned, he took the time to admire what she'd settled on wearing: a small tank top which didn't quite cover her stomach and a tight jean skirt which still left her room to move and ended almost mid-thigh. She'd also chosen fishnet stockings which just barely passed her knees and he could see her pulling out a pair of high heeled boots with all too many buckles. On her arms she'd chosen simple fingerless gloves which reached her elbow. The promise ring he'd bought her on their anniversary a few months back was proudly displayed on her ring finger. She wore a silver chain around her neck, a plain silver band slipped onto it; that was a story he still had yet to hear from her, but didn't mind waiting.

Other than black eyeliner, a touch of skin-toned eye shadow, mascara and pink lip gloss, she didn't wear much make up or do anything with her long, pink hair.

When he finally met her green-eyed gaze once more, he found her grinning mischievously. "Do you like what you see, _Koi_?"

Itachi hummed lightly, but didn't drop his gaze from her eyes again as he moved forward with almost predatory grace. "I don't think _like_ is the proper word to describe it."

Surprise at the blatant implication flitted through her eyes, but she didn't negate his statement nor did she push him back. Once he was close enough, she casually wrapped her arms around his neck, the added three inches of her heels making it easier for her to do so.

The lazy smile on her face was so familiar, and he was just as casual about placing butterfly kisses on her lips. Sakura laughed, though it was muffled in parts as he repeatedly kissed her. Finally he decided to back off so he could push her toward the door. Granted, he did debate staying home and taking advantage of the intricate outfit she wore.

She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye as they fell in step, and then she shook her head, clear amusement in her expression. He knew she could sense his thought pattern and that she saw nothing wrong in teasing him about it. She spun on her high heeled feet and proceeded to walk backward toward the car, not even bothering to look behind her.

"So what convinced you to go with?"

He was silent for a moment, thinking of the best answer. Normally that would be the simple truth, but he decided on a different response. "I'll tell you _after_ you prove I can't dance."

Her laugh was music to his ears. Her long, pink hair went everywhere as she shook her head bemusedly and pranced ahead of him. A small smile found its way to his face as he kept a careful eye on her. It didn't take long to get into the club, and definitely not long enough for her to settle.

The first thing she did when they entered was to catch his hand and pull him towards the dance floor. She weaved in and out the crowd until they were almost smack dab in the middle of the sea of people. Once she was satisfied, she stopped pulling, but didn't let go of his hand.

With a Cheshire grin still plastered to her face, she took a step closer to him, effectively invading his personal space. He merely watched, feeling heat flicker to life inside him as she slowly began to move her body.

She brought her free hand up to rest lightly on his shoulder as she kept her hips moving in a circular motion. Her green eyes were almost closed with how low her eyelids fell.

The words washed over him loud and lulling, but he didn't bother to hear what they actually were as he allowed the beat to move him. First swaying, and then actually moving. His body sifting and relaxed, letting the beat move him where it wanted to and the rhythm set his pace.

He was determined to show her anyway he could that he was capable of just as much languidness as she was. She had openly challenged him on the matter, after all, and at the very least he wanted to prove his lover wrong.

And he knew was doing a good job of it when he felt her body brush up against his continuously, following his lead as she, too, lost herself to the music.

A smile found its way to his face, as he leaned down to press a kiss to her cheek and wrap his arms around her midsection. They'd come here to prove that he could dance, but he saw absolutely nothing wrong with using that as a reason for other activities.

She didn't object as she giggled lightly, curled her own arms around his neck, and kissed him on the lips. "You're off to a great start, love. You sure you don't want that bet?"

Kissing her back, he whispered, "I don't need it."

It earned him a carefree laugh that only encouraged him to pull her closer and dance slower. "If you say so."

He hummed back, already certain tonight was going to be a good night. Perhaps he should agree to go to a club with her a little more often; it would be more than worth it


	74. 147 Forest: Middle Ground

**Title:** Moments in Time: A Close Up

**Author:** AppleL0V3R

**Beta-reader:** SymphoniaFreak

**Fandom:** Naruto

**Pairing:** Uchiha Itachi and Haruno Sakura

**Chapter:** Seventy-Four – #147 Forest: Middle Ground

**Rating:** T

**Type:** One-shot – Complete

**Summary:** Prompts from Moments in Time that I was requested to expand on. 74. 147 – Forest: Middle Ground. He expected death because it was his time to die. He didn't get it.

**Word Count:** 3,850

**Disclaimer:** If you've heard of it before, then it's obviously not mine.

**Note:** As the summary states, these are skits I was asked to turn into actual works. I will always put which one it was and the skit just before the chapter. They won't be in numerical order because I'm doing them as I'm requested. They won't be any more than one-shots though they may become two to five –shots (I will forewarn when that happens) but they won't become stories unless I choose to.

**Request by:** Anime Freak456 and theonesakura

**Edited on:** January 24, 2012

* * *

147. Forest (Itachi)

Itachi's crimson eyes flickered upward and all around him; he was surrounded by abnormally large and thick trees. How fitting, he couldn't help but think, that he would meet his end in not only in the village where he began, but in a forest that had been so aptly named Forest of Death.

He'd long since settled at the base of one of the massive trees, resigned to the fact that if he took one step out of this place, they would be on him and he knew he couldn't fight his way out in this condition. And if he stayed, then the wildlife – also overgrown – would get to him. And if neither one of those things happened, he'd die from either internal hemorrhaging due to his illness or external bleeding due to wounds.

And then he felt that familiar chakra.

* * *

With so few options left to him, he went for the one that would best get him what he sought. But even that one wouldn't completely help him reach his ultimate goal; at this point nothing would. Right then, he didn't truly care though because it brought some semblance of peace and closure to the damage he'd done.

His decision brought him to Konoha, the home he had been so bent on protecting and serving that he'd thrown it away. It was almost ironic how his life had played out. Itachi had been born a prodigy into an already prestigious clan, but all he had wanted was peace while they hungered for more power. He had given everything for his village by doing as told and found himself shunned for it. There had been no saving grace for him.

Looking back on his life, he wondered if it had mattered that all he'd done was give and give, taking only what he'd been ordered. Did it matter that despite how much of himself he had given, he never got anything back for himself?

Did he deserve to have his life turn out like this? Upside down and backwards, and simply so hard to face sometimes. Was that just the cards he drew? Was this the only way he could have played them?

Part of him wanted to answer yes, because then it meant that how things turned out couldn't have been helped. But thinking that also agitated him, made him feel helpless and jaded. On the other hand, he didn't want to think that he could have played them differently because that meant his dissatisfaction was his own fault.

That was as far as he was willing to expand on the topic; he didn't want to think those thoughts deeper because he didn't want to face what they would lead to just yet.

His reason for being back in his place of birth was his own younger brother. Itachi had encouraged Sasuke to chase him, to find the hatred to kill him. However, he had shown him a possible path, hoping the boy would realize that he shouldn't take it or anything like it. Not even if he chose vengeance.

And Sasuke didn't choose that path, he chose one much worse. He chose to let himself be a puppet, giving up his home and his team all for the sake of possibly getting where he wanted. Surely his little brother should have known that he couldn't trust people so willing to show him power and to use him. But the boy always had been gullible, too narrow-minded to factor in just how much they were exploiting him and how that would affect what he wanted.

The latest bastard to get a hold of the youngest Uchiha was the one who originally wanted to get rid of all of them: Shimura Danzo. The very same man who had been the main reason behind the decision to have Itachi massacre his family for the sake of peace. After that particular event, Danzo hadn't been anything more than but a nuisance to the Uchiha heir. However, he was quite mistaken if he thought he could manipulate Sasuke without repercussions.

Though the overall goal of being in Konoha had been to get his brother's full attention, Itachi wasn't going to pass up a chance to warn the elder of his choices on the subject. Normally, the Akatsuki member wouldn't have had any trouble with doing such a thing. Even blind and half-dead with illness, Danzo was nothing more than a mere obstacle and could be easily dealt with. However, an unexpected miscalculation on his part had insured that wasn't the case this time around.

Logically, Itachi knew that Danzo wouldn't dare go after Sasuke. Unlike the rest of the world, the elderly man knew that his brother was the one thing that he would protect as best he could. But even with that knowledge, the criminal hadn't thought he would be of any more consequence than usual. But what had been waiting for him were four full teams of ANBU ROOT members who had managed to corner him.

Fighting them off had taken more of a toll than he had anticipated. And his illness acting up, as it hadn't in a long while, had also affected him. Which had led him to this point: his blood continuing to pool around him as his limbs deadened with each passing moment and breathing becoming a laboring task he couldn't surmount.

Itachi's crimson eyes flickered upward and all around him; he was surrounded by abnormally large and thick trees. How fitting, he couldn't help but think, that he would meet his end in not only in the village where he began, but in a forest that had been so aptly named Forest of Death.

He'd long since settled at the base of one of the massive trees, resigned to the fact that if he took one step out of this place, they would be on him and he knew he couldn't fight his way out in this condition. And if he stayed, then the wildlife – also overgrown – would get to him. And if neither one of those things happened, he'd die from either internal hemorrhaging due to his illness or external bleeding due to wounds.

There would be no way out this time, no way to survive and recover even slightly as he had a knack for doing. He'd lasted this long, and it had caused him to overestimate himself just slightly in a way that had proven fatal. Now he would be unable to set Sasuke back on his course or successfully keep Madara and Shimura at bay. They had both been waiting for the perfect opportunity to sink their teeth into the youngest remaining Uchiha.

And his minor miscalculation had given it to them.

Anger bubbled, strong and unsettling in his chest. He'd almost forgotten the overpowering feel of that particular emotion; it was a reminder that he was still alive as it forced blood to pump in his veins. But that same blood would seep out of his wounds much more quickly now, and death would come faster. For once, he didn't try to rein it back in; the control wouldn't be necessary any longer after all.

And then he felt that familiar chakra.

The familiarity of it put his weakened body at ease, but the origin of the familiarity tensed him further. Both were reason enough to control his temper once more as he forced his fogging mind to decide whether this particular person would be harmful or not. What could be more harmful than killing him a few minutes sooner than he was going to die?

He supposed she could hand him over to the ROOT members still searching for him, but even that didn't seem like any real threat. If death and ROOT were not harmful, then there was really no reason to guard himself. Still his body couldn't pick a reaction. Subconsciously, he knew that just because she was no real threat to him any longer didn't mean she wasn't someone to be wary of. She had one key ability that she was renowned for, one that could definitely change the outcome should she choose to act on it.

Itachi could use that to his advantage. However, what could he say to entice her to do as he wished? A dying man's words didn't hold any salt if she wasn't willing to listen, and if she was then he would owe her. The Uchiha heir had never been fond of being in anyone's debt for any reason.

No matter how he looked at it, this entire situation had not gone well be any means.

He jerked slightly when he felt hands tug at his cloak. Was he so near death that he couldn't sense or even hear her settle right next to him? He felt so numb as it was, focusing on the outside world seemed impossible. It made him wonder how he felt her tugging and pressing. Dimly, he thought, perhaps it had to do with the chakra surrounding her hands thickly.

She was helping him. That was the only explanation as to why the mind numbing pain lessened and his senses started to flicker to life. No words were necessary it seemed, no persuasion or coercion to make her do what he wanted. In the back of his mind, he chided himself for forgetting her nature. The one that took all the danger out of her on account of the fact that he was injured and she was a medic intent on keeping her vow.

He debated saying something to her, but chose to let his eyes close. Haruno Sakura didn't allow any harm to come to a patient in her care, not until said patient had made a full recovery.

For the time being, he could still bait Sasuke away from Danzo.

For the time being, he was safe.

* * *

Sakura watched with almost awed fascination as his sharp crimson eyes glazed over and final slid shut. It was a conscious show of trust that she was certain he had never afforded anyone in his life, not even his own family. Part of her wanted to know what he was thinking when he made such a choice.

With a soft smile, she allowed his trust to flow through her body and hearten her actions. So she knuckled down and focused completely on saving him from whatever misery he'd gotten himself into this time.

After all, as far as she was concerned, he was a patient in need, and she'd made an oath to always aid the injured and dying. Uchiha Itachi would be no exception even though he was clearly an enemy, one that had indirectly turned her life upside down not once, but twice.

Granted, both her teammates had made their own choices, no matter what the reason. They'd chosen to get stronger, though for completely different reasons. That was beside the point right then though, and history she'd long accepted.

She had an inkling that Itachi wasn't here by coincidence. Danzo had been doing a good job of being subtle about the power plays he was making, and one of those power plays was manipulating Sasuke into working for him. She and the rest of Team Seven were more than aware of this fact, and they were already planning an intervention.

Having the Uchiha prodigy inside the village wouldn't hurt though, and perhaps she could use this as a reason for him to help their cause. It coincided with his plans to a degree, and he would look at this situation as a debt that he would want to repay as soon as possible. A win-win situation for her, no matter how she looked at it.

With those thoughts in mind, she settled into the grim task of fixing all the damage he'd taken.

As the hours slid by, she'd managed to stabilize him and begin the recovery process to its fullest extent. But with every passing minute she lost more chakra than she wanted to for the marginal progress she was making. It didn't take more than hour after she'd removed him from death's door to come to the conclusion that this would take more chakra than she had on hand or even in her reserves.

Staying here wasn't an option, so she was going to have to relocate the two of them. After a pause and slight hesitation, she tucked one arm under his knees and the other behind his head using her inhuman strength to lift him in comfortable position against her chest. Well, as comfortable as he could be given the fact that he was head and shoulders taller than her and far too skinny for his own good. She ignored the awkwardness in favor of figuring out how to get him to her guest bedroom without drawing attention to the two of them.

Well, at least she was finally getting a chance to challenge herself strategically like she'd been wanting to. Green eyes flickered down to the unconscious man and smiled lightly, once more empowered by the pure trust that accompanied the fact that he wasn't even tense in her arms.

She could do this. The only question was: how?

A momentary pause and then she grinned at her steadily evolving plan. How simple it would be to do, and she knew that no one would question her. Least of all whoever had put him in this state.

And she was on her way once more, moving with inbred ease that insured she went unnoticed by the general public. Thankfully she lived on the side of town that was closest to Area 44, and didn't have far to go before she was slipping into her apartment through her bedroom window.

The rest of his healing session could wait for the morning when her chakra was fully replenished.

* * *

When Itachi woke, it was to the sharpness of his senses; even his sight was present. It wasn't nearly as sharp as it needed to be, but he could make out colors and shapes. That was more than he'd been able to do in years.

Once he'd filed that knowledge away, he tested his other senses which had returned as keen as he was accustomed to them being. He felt aches but only muscle-deep; no gashing wounds or broken bones as far as he could tell. Just possible bruises that had already progressed past the swelling and discoloration stages. He couldn't feel his illness overshadowing him either; it was as if that too had been banished.

For a moment he let himself revel in the feeling of simply being healthy and whole and _alive_.

Then he realized that he was somewhere foreign. No longer was he in a forest with a large tree at his back, but in a room. It wasn't pure white though, as a hospital or clinic would be; in fact the colors were muted and soft. No pictures and only neutral furniture. He was certain that he was in a guest bedroom or something similar. Blinking once, he tried to sit up. The task caused more pain that he thought it would, but far less than he'd come to expect. It was easily ignored in favor of scoping the room more thoroughly, only to stop at his bedside. Settled in a chair and leaning against the bed at a seemingly uncomfortable angle, was the pink-haired medic who had found him in the Forest of Death.

That meant he was in her home; she had taken him to her apartment to continue to care for him. He had expected that she would stick to him like burr until she was satisfied, but he hadn't thought she'd extend that to relocating him to her home. Not only had she all but welcomed a wanted criminal into her home, she was sleeping soundly right next to him. As if the situation was perfectly natural.

He watched her for a long moment, during which she didn't even stir under his heavy gaze. Then he allowed his eyes to wander to the nightstand which had a glass of still warm tea, a delicious looking meal, a few pills, and a note.

The tea was telling that she'd just barely gotten to sleep, and the full meal told him that she thought it important that he ate. The note though, that meant she knew he'd be able to read it when he woke.

Glancing back at her, he moved slowly, careful not to open her stitches. Sakura was never fond of redoing work because of careless actions on her patient's part. Once he was on his feet, he observed that she had changed his clothing to a simple black shirt and matching slacks. Moving deliberately, he placed her on the bed and picked up the note. Itachi was more than willing follow her instructions after she'd worked through the night to heal him full health.

Something caught his eye at the bottom of the note.

_You're here for Sasuke, aren't you? Naruto, Sai, Kakashi, and I are aware of the situation, and we will deal with Danzo. He's our problem now. So will you please knock some sense into that brother of yours? If you want, you can consider it as repaying the debt you undoubtedly think you owe me. -Sakura_

He almost blinked. Turning blackened eyes back to his hostess, he found green eyes on him in an almost groggy repose.

A smile twitched at her lips. "So? Will you do it?"

He paused before finally answering. "I intended to deal with Sasuke before I required your help. Unless you think so little of saving my life, pick something else."

Green eyes blinked. "I…" Clearly he'd left her speechless. "I didn't mean to belittle you, Itachi. I just don't want you to feel like you owe me."

He analyzed her for a moment longer. "It does not change the fact that you saved my life. If you don't wish to ask an equivalent favor of me now, then I expect you to find one later."

Her own eyes turned intent as she sat up. "If I asked for your help under circumstances that didn't mean fulfilling my medic oath, then that's tantamount to treason on my part."

Itachi raised any eyebrow, knowing she'd understand that meant he didn't see that as a reasonable excuse.

Sakura huffed. "Fine. Compromise: I ask for favors here and there until you feel like you've repaid me."

He thought it over for a moment. "That will mean a continued relation."

"I know." She sighed and rubbed her shoulder absently. "But you know where I live, and I guess we can set up some system for me to find you when I need you."

"Acceptable."

With a wary smile, she nodded and then turned her eyes on the untouched food. "I'll start by asking you to take care of yourself. I don't care how, but you're far too thin to be healthy."

The urge to huff with agitation blindsided him. But for the moment, he decided that he was hungry enough to acquiesce. She seemed more than satisfied when he sat down and began to eat the meal she had prepared. Satisfied enough that she laid back down and let her eyelids to fall halfway over her bright eyes.

Little favors here and there, he could handle that. No doubt she was the only person alive he wouldn't mind being indebted to, if this mild-mannered side of hers was any indication.

Then a thought occurred to him. "How do you intend to deal with Danzo?"


	75. 150 Wedding: Study Sessions

**Title:** Moments in Time: A Close Up

**Author:** AppleL0V3R

**Beta-reader:** SymphoniaFreak

**Fandom:** Naruto

**Pairing:** Uchiha Itachi and Haruno Sakura

**Chapter:** Seventy-Five – #150 Wedding: Study Sessions

**Rating:** T

**Type:** One-shot – Complete

**Summary:** Prompts from Moments in Time that I was requested to expand on. 75. 150 – Wedding: Study Sessions. Sakura didn't need a tutor, but she wasn't above taking advantage of Itachi.

**Word Count:** 1,600

**Disclaimer:** If you've heard of it before, then it's obviously not mine.

**Note:** As the summary states, these are skits I was asked to turn into actual works. I will always put which one it was and the skit just before the chapter. They won't be in numerical order because I'm doing them as I'm requested. They won't be any more than one-shots though they may become two to five –shots (I will forewarn when that happens) but they won't become stories unless I choose to.

**Request by:** Anime Freak456, theonesakura and mUmaRhz

**Edited on:** February 1, 2012

* * *

150. Wedding (Sakura)

The lyrics rang from the speakers in the living room as she twirled the writing utensil in her right hand. Her math book was on the table and the paper with writing on it in her other hand.

When it got to one of her favorite parts of the song, she went from mouthing the words to actually singing along. "When I say 'shotgun', you say 'wedding'. Shotgun, wedding. Shotgun–"

"Wedding."

She glanced up, startled to see Itachi standing in her doorway. But then she grinned. "What do you say, Itachi? Can we have a shotgun wedding?"

All this procured from him was a laugh and a shake of his head as he entered into her home.

She just kept grinning because he hadn't said no.

* * *

Sakura was the kind of student who spent more time studying and doing work that wouldn't be due for a while. Despite what her housemate, Ino, had tried to persuade her into over the years, she remained firmly the bookworm of the two. Compared to her best friend's habit of partying and paying more attention to her social life than school, the pink-haired college student liked her stay-in nights. She liked to kick back and work on homework at her leisure because she knew she'd have it done in time.

Her life was busy and hectic whenever she stepped out the doors of her shared apartment, so she made a point to relax and watch movies, or listen to music when she was home. If she didn't need to be anywhere for more than a couple hours, she liked to take naps or curl up on the couch with a new book and a cup of hot coffee. As far as she was concerned, this was her time, and she could relax and enjoy it as much as she wanted. Because she knew the second she took a step back into the world, she had overwhelming responsibilities and too many things to do with too little time to do them in.

Tonight, she didn't have to go anywhere until class started at eight-thirty. She didn't have to work, didn't need to pick anything up, and didn't make any further plans with her friends. It was just her and the entire apartment to herself for the next nine or so hours. And after her crazy day, she more than welcomed the serenity. Ino wouldn't be home until the next afternoon at some point or another, so she didn't have to worry about any loud blondes disrupting her solitude.

She'd turned on the stereo and let whatever CD she'd left in it play through as she sat down with what would be next week's assignments. Personally, she was no fan of the subject, but she knew that it was necessary for her major. Cardiology required a lot of biology, anatomy and math so whether she liked it or not, she had to pass it with a good grade and at least a basic understanding. Even so, as she worked she let her mind wander periodically. Every now and again she would get something to munch on or stare out a window with a drink in hand. If she got really distracted, she'd pull out another textbook that had work waiting in it and turn on the TV. That was how she got through things: multitasking and minor breaks.

Though tonight, food and music were more than enough to preoccupy her while she worked. The lyrics sounded from the speakers in the living room as she twirled the writing utensil in her right hand. Her math book was on the table and the paper with writing on it in her other hand. It was all very domestic and simple, exactly the way she liked spending her down time.

When it got to one of her favorite parts of the song, she went from mouthing the words to actually singing along. "When I say 'shotgun', you say 'wedding'. Shotgun, wedding. Shotgun–"

"Wedding."

She glanced up, startled to see Itachi standing in her doorway. But then she grinned. "What do you say, Itachi? Can we have a shotgun wedding?" The older man tended to simply appear in her life whenever was convenient for him. At first, it had agitated her because he served just as much a disruption as her surrogate sister could be, albeit a much quieter one. But the more he did it, the more she got used to it. By this point, she had come to expect his frequent visits and even worried when it took any more than two days for him to appear.

All her teasing procured from him was a laugh and a shake of his head as he entered into her home. The act itself seemed so natural for him; as if he was entering his own home, and she couldn't quite say that wasn't true. He was there almost as much as she was, after all. He paid for some of the food when he wanted it to be kept in the house and even bought stuff like movies and CDs for the apartment. His name wasn't on the lease, but he was definitely an occupant by her definition.

She just kept grinning because he hadn't said no.

Itachi was someone she had known almost as long as she'd known Ino or her surrogate brothers, childhood best friends. And within recent years, they had gotten close enough that she'd begun counting him as one of the closest people to her. Though, when she thought about it and analyzed her heart, she never could wholehearted convince herself that he was another surrogate sibling. Ino teased that they were lovers, going so far as to call them two halves of a whole. Even her boys had picked up the habit of referring to Itachi as her other half, the eviler one in their opinion.

Try as she might, she couldn't object to them because she wanted it to be true. Granted, Itachi hadn't yet asked her to be his girlfriend, but he certainly treated her like spouse whenever they were in contact with each other. She was just waiting for the day when he proposed to her in that subtle way of his. And when she asked what happened to dating, he would say that they had been courting for years, or hadn't she noticed? The green-eyed student want to think that particular conversation was all in her head, that being with Itachi for the rest of her life would happen.

After all, if she was going to spend whole life loving one person, then she couldn't think of anyone but him.

The Uchiha heir deftly removed his shoes and made a beeline for the kitchen, returning only moments later with a mug of tea in hand. Apparently not ready sit down, he put it on a coaster on the glass coffee table and started organizing all her paperwork that was construed about the table, finisheing only when he had shut her math book and taken her favorite pencil. She blinked once, but didn't bother protesting; he had something planned, and if she waited patiently enough, she would see what it was.

Once he seemed satisfied, he picked up the remote and grabbed a case that she hadn't seen him holding when he entered the house. Once he'd gotten it going, he finally sat down on the couch. She shot him a bemused look as he shifted her position so that she was pressed against his side, almost halfway in his lap, before he settled completely. After a moment, she shook her head and turned to see what movie they were watching tonight.

Sakura liked her solitude; she liked the serenity of being able to relax and do things the way she wanted in the time that she wanted. But she loved movie night with Uchiha Itachi; she loved that it was just the two of them for hours and hours cuddling on her couch. Because it was exactly the way she could imagine spending the rest of her life. After coming home from another chaotic day, she would welcome watching a movie her lover and just enjoying his company.

Itachi's arm, curled at an angle across her waist, tightened, and he leaned down until his breath puffed soft and hot on her ear. "Watch the movie, Sa-ku-ra."

She rolled her green eyes and laughed. "Only if you answer my question, I-ta-chi."

He chuckled, but didn't say anything, choosing to resituate them slightly before returned his attention to the movie.


	76. 152 Do: Shakespearian

**Title:** Moments in Time: A Close Up

**Author:** AppleL0V3R

**Beta-reader:** SymphoniaFreak

**Fandom:** Naruto

**Pairing:** Uchiha Itachi and Haruno Sakura

**Chapter:** Seventy-Six – #152 Do: Shakespearian

**Rating:** T

**Type:** One-shot – Complete

**Summary:** Prompts from Moments in Time that I was requested to expand on. 76. 152 – Do: Shakespearian. It probably wasn't the best way to decide what to do, but she did it anyway.

**Word Count:** 2,550

**Disclaimer:** If you've heard of it before, then it's obviously not mine.

**Note:** As the summary states, these are skits I was asked to turn into actual works. I will always put which one it was and the skit just before the chapter. They won't be in numerical order because I'm doing them as I'm requested. They won't be any more than one-shots though they may become two to five –shots (I will forewarn when that happens) but they won't become stories unless I choose to.

**Request by:** Anime Freak456, theoneskura

* * *

152. Do (Sakura)

To do or not to do, that was the question.

And frankly, said question could go to hell. Why? Because it was giving _her_ hell. Actually, he was, but it was the same thing really.

Uchiha Itachi was a pain in her ass who needed to _go away_. But would he? No, because he was Itachi and he was a pain in the ass.

Here she was, losing sleep – precious, precious sleep – because of a simple question. And no, not the abovementioned one. That was a response to his question.

She grabbed a small piece of paper and wrote 'do' and 'do not'. Closing her eyes and waving her hand in the air, she slapped it down on the answer.

She peeked at it.

Do.

* * *

When she got home, the first thing she did was toss her purse on the couch, sink into the nearest chair, and let her head fall in her hands. A long, drawn-out groan escaped her lips as she debated the merits of never leaving her apartment ever again. Or maybe just moving to a new town all together.

In the back of her mind, she knew both options were too extreme and that she really shouldn't be so dramatic about it. But, hell, it was hard not to.

Sighing, she rubbed her throbbing head with one hand and let the other fall through the strands of her hair and land in her lap. Maybe she should just not think about it. Out of sight, out of mind, right? If she ignored the whole situation, maybe it would go away.

She snorted. Yeah, right, fat chance of that.

She didn't even want to deal with it, not ever. But her logical side told her that the sooner she faced it, the sooner it was over with. Well, if she was lucky enough for things to actually pan-out pleasantly. And quite frankly, she just didn't see that happening. Not in this life anyway.

Well there was an idea. Escape the world and it can't torture her. This time she laughed at her own rational; it was pathetic if she thought about it from a certain perspective and just plain desperate at face value. So either way she should just forget that thought too.

So after all the dramatic ideas were cleared out of the way, what was she left with?

Reality.

Which seemed to suck, as far as she was concerned. Moaning to herself again, she forced herself to get up and actually do something. Sitting in a chair and bemoaning what couldn't be changed wasn't going to get her anywhere, no matter how much she wished it did. Automatically she found herself entering the kitchenette and absently browsing through the small fridge for something to eat. And looking at the sheer barrenness of the shelves reminded her that she still needed to go grocery shopping. Huffing, she shut the door and promised herself that she would get to it after she paid the bills for the month.

The cupboards and pantry presented even less appealing choices. Okay, so hunting for food of any sort wasn't a good way to divert her thoughts or to eat anything for that matter.

Most days she didn't notice the lack of edible things in her apartment; mostly because she was always out and about. Eating on the run or munching on things at her shishou's office, that sort of thing. It was always enough to keep her going. But like any normal woman her age, stress meant hunger and irritableness when she couldn't find anything to eat.

She was about to retreat to the same chair she'd been slumped in minutes before, but decided to curl on the couch and find something to watch on TV. But it seemed that no matter what channel she flipped to, she couldn't find anything to keep her attention long enough to stick with it.

The little voice in her head taunted that there was a trend there, and it would keep happening. She resolutely shushed it and turned off the TV in favor of finding something else to occupy herself. Her home was practically teeming with books; surely there was one that she could read until she'd soothed her haywire mind. But the voice returned with a vengeance when not even her favorite books, which usually captured her, could drag her into the stories they told.

Starting to feel desperate, she retreated to the chair once more and started digging through her bag that contained work that needed her attention. Normally she didn't do it until later when she wouldn't have anything else to do but it. Right then though, she didn't honestly care if doing it now meant suffering boredom later on. Just so long as she achieved some semblance of peace-of-mind now. But as with everything else, her thoughts idled back to what had brought on this temporary madness, which meant her pencil wasn't put to paper for more than a word or two at a time.

After no more than five minutes, she'd finally gotten fed up with it. It was already problem that she knew she would have to face, she didn't want it messing with the time she had to herself. The sparse time to kick back and enjoy whatever leisure activity she wanted to was her lifeline to sanity, and there was simply no way she was giving up a moment of it.

So instead of later, she'd figure out a plan of attack now. She was still for a moment, contemplating where to start. If she thought about it simplistically, there were really only two choices to think over.

To do or not to do, that was the question.

And frankly, said question could go to hell because it was giving _her_ hell. Actually, he was, but it was the same thing really. Uchiha Itachi was a pain in her ass who needed to _go away_. But would he? No, because he was Itachi and he was a pain in the ass.

Here she was, losing sleep – precious, precious sleep – because of a simple question. And no, not the abovementioned one. That was a response to his question.

Finally, she grabbed a small piece of paper and wrote 'do' and 'do not'. Closing her eyes and waving her hand in the air, she slapped it down on the answer. In the back of her mind, she knew this was a silly solution and that she should really just think about it until she found a logical or reasonable answer. But it was giving her a headache and taking up time she could put to better uses.

After a moment of hesitancy she peeked at it. If she didn't like the answer she could always just forget the whole thing and give the stubborn man a split second decision.

Do.

Green eyes stared for a long moment, absorbing the letters. Part of her wasn't entirely sure whether she liked the answer, and the rest of her was completely unopposed to it. Given such feelings on the matter, she thought on if she was truly okay with doing as Itachi asked of her.

Did she want to go on a date with Uchiha Itachi?

If she wasn't against it and she was vaguely okay with it, then logically she should say yes.

What harm could it do? Worst-case scenario: it was completely awkward and unpleasant and they never did it again. Best-case scenario: she could have a wonderful time and maybe even go on another date with him. Really, the only thing holding her back was the principle that this was _Itachi _who had asked her out. If it was anybody else, she'd shrug and be willing enough to at least give it a try.

Deciding that the matter had been settled and that she would agree to go on this date, she smiled happily to herself. Now that she had the matter sorted out, there was no point in fusing over or trying to ignore it. Which meant she could go back to enjoying her relaxing time however she wanted to. And right then, she was thinking of an action-comedy movie.

* * *

Two nights after the fact, Sakura found herself in a theater vaguely bemused by the fact that they were seeing a rendition of Shakespeare's _Romeo and Juliet_. When she had told Itachi the day before that she would go out with him, he had nodded as if he had expecting the answer. And she would have been chagrinned by such a response had she not caught a glimpse of relief tucked away in his eyes. Then she found herself miffed when he answered her decision by saying that they would be going to see an on-stage play.

Apparently, Itachi found a way to be both human and overly confident. No matter how many times he informed her that "he wasn't _confident _he was _logica,l_" the results were the same so she figured he was using Itachi-logic, and it was the same as her original assumption.

But that didn't mean she'd had any less fun getting completely dressed up for the occasion. In fact, since that afternoon she'd been in a really good mood and, as the day went on, it had only gotten better. She'd been satisfied with how she looked in the mirror; Itachi had complemented her at the door, and he had been no less than a perfect gentlemen. It was like a dream almost; there were no hitches or problems in getting from her house to the theater, and as they watched the play was very entertaining. Even if she had seen and analyzed this particular play in high school so many times that she'd gotten sick of the story.

All in all, it seemed the best-case scenario was going to be her night, and she had no intention of objecting to that. Granted, it was still awkward trying to talk to Itachi, but she'd expected that. A single date wasn't going to change his personality or how she broached it. But the time spent together would make it easier to interpret and respond to him.

During the intermission, she'd turned in her chair to face her date. A happy smile was on her face as she picked up a piece of bread to nibble on it, searching for something to talk about. Itachi was not a person who participated in small talk or meaningless conversations, so that meant she would need a reason for starting any conversation. Just as she was ready to forgo trying all together, a thought occurred to her. "Hey, Itachi?"

Black eyes focused on her in that intent way of his. Feeling like she was the only one in the room besides him because of that gaze, she found it hard not to blush. That would be something else to get used to if she was going to go out with him again. "Why did you ask me out?"

He was silent for a long moment, and then he abruptly reached over and removed her half-eaten bread. "I asked you out because I want to know." She must have been sporting the confusion she felt because he added, "I want to know everything about you."

That gave her pause. A date was one thing; hell, even two dates were a relatively small matter compared to that. "Everything?" She was sure she'd half squeaked, half whispered.

An amused light entered those dark eyes of his, but it did nothing to take away from the seriousness of his answer. "Intimately."

Sakura drew in a breath, finding her mind back into the mental state it had been just two days before when he'd asked her out. The taunting voice whispered that perhaps she should try a 'do or do not' response again. But she quickly stamped it out in favor of simply staring back at him numbly. "You know, most guys ask for a second date after the first."

He hummed noncommittally. "If I were to ask that, what would your answer be?"

With the way the date had been going thus far, it was a no-brainer on her part. "I'd agree to another date."

Idly, he gave her back her bread and tucked a loose strand of pink hair back behind her ear. She had to force herself to breath and then swallow, both in a vain attempt to avoid death. "Why?"

Why? She was about to answer that it had everything to do with this date, but remembered that Itachi was not a simple person and therefore, wouldn't ask such a simplistic question. So either he was leading her to see this situation from his perspective, or his question applied to more than just the obvious. Either way, she paused so as to think of just what he could be getting at and how best to reply. It took her only a moment to realize that he was leading her, and as much as she wanted to rebel for the sake of it, she couldn't deny that it didn't just make sense, it had a good dose of truth to it.

"Because I'd like to take things one step at a time. I want to see if we can be in a relationship that is based off more than enjoyment."

The way his eyes became half lidded told her she'd just responded very pleasingly. She'd said what he wanted to hear and she couldn't take it back for the very reason she'd answered. The rosette settled for huffing and turning back to the stage. "Don't let that go to your head."

"I have told you Sakura, I am not overconfident."

"Just logical; and that means that I answered as one logically should?"

Again he hummed, finally turning back to the drawn curtains as well. Just in time for the theater to begin to dim once more in preparation for the next act.

No matter what he'd said, she had the feeling that he was gloating anyway. She made a mental note to take him down a peg on their next date. For now, she'd enjoy this one and worry about the rest later.


	77. 153 Threat: Knife

**Title:** Moments in Time: A Close Up

**Author:** AppleL0V3R

**Beta-reader:** SymphoniaFreak

**Fandom:** Naruto

**Pairing:** Uchiha Itachi and Haruno Sakura

**Chapter:** Seventy-Seven – #153 Threat: Knife.

**Rating:** T

**Type:** One-shot – Complete

**Summary:** Prompts from Moments in Time that I was requested to expand on. 77. 153 – Threat: Knife. He wasn't the type of person to simply let a threat slide, not even for her.

**Word Count:** 5,800

**Disclaimer:** If you've heard of it before, then it's obviously not mine.

**Note:** As the summary states, these are skits I was asked to turn into actual works. I will always put which one it was and the skit just before the chapter. They won't be in numerical order because I'm doing them as I'm requested. They won't be any more than one-shots though they may become two to five –shots (I will forewarn when that happens) but they won't become stories unless I choose to.

This is in the same verse as Chapter 35: 46 Life and Chapter 51: 94 Short.

I had no intention of making it this long; it simply grew and grew as I found more things that I thought were necessary to add. For those of you who have read other things from me, you know this is abnormally long length and shouldn't be expected again anytime soon.

**Request by:** Anime Freak456, theonesakura

**Edited on:** February 26, 2012

* * *

153. Threat (Itachi)

Itachi didn't take threats well. Not inwardly, anyway. He liked challenges, certainly, but open threats were not something he tolerated from anyone. Not even her.

He quickly grabbed her wrist, the one with the kunai aimed for his heart and yanked hard. She was thrown off balance and slammed into his chest with the force of his pull.

She growled, snarling to be let free. He merely met her gaze with flashing eyes.

Leaning down, he whispered right into her ear, "Threaten me again, Kunoichi, and you won't live to regret it."

And just as easily he let go, stepping back as he did so. Black eyes appraised her for a few moments as she stared at him with angry eyes and a heaving chest.

Then he turned and walked away.

* * *

He watched from a distance as she jogged down the street, clearly wanting to get to where she was going quickly but not in any rush to get there. It amazed him how she could be so nonchalant just because she was on the main street of Konoha, especially after what she had been through. Most would have been paranoid, constantly making sure what had happened before didn't happen again. But here she was, not even bothering to see if there was anyone dangerous in her immediate vicinity. Perhaps that was why she was so accomplished in her own right, because she knew how to get back up and continue on no matter what.

But that would only get her so far, and this time it was only going to continually put her in situations he was sure she didn't want to be in. Ones that revolved around him continuously seeking her out; after all, twice he had already pressed into her life, changing it to suit his needs. Yet still she didn't keep a lookout for him. It was possible that she didn't think he would need her ever again, even though he'd already demonstrated once that, whether she thought she was needed or not, he was going to use her. So did that leave her at harebrained or simply willing to not pay such a thought any mind until she was forced to face it once more?

He got his answer almost immediately when he settled himself directly in her path. She skidded to a halt, green eyes widening slightly before she quickly looked around her, checking to see if anyone else was in the vicinity. Again it raised questions in his mind. Did she trust him so much that she would look away from his person, or had she simply not thought before she turned her eyes away?

Itachi saw no reason to wait for her to return her startled gaze to his person once more and had already covered most of the distance between them. Only a foot separated them now, yet she didn't back up like scared prey would. "Are you truly so confident, Kunoichi?"

Those doe-like eyes blinked with confusion at his question.

It was almost amusing to think, if it weren't for what her actions thus far implicated. She saw no reason to keep her guard up, she didn't involuntarily back up when he invaded her personal space, and she didn't consciously realize any of it. The only way all of her actions made sense was if she wasn't afraid of him. The logical part of him thought that would cause problems, but the masculine part of him reveled in such baseless trust.

It meant she was finally learning that she was well and truly his. And he wasn't the type to let something like that go unnoticed or taken advantage of. "You do not cower like most."

Again she blinked, and then she snorted. "You've kidnapped me _twice_, Uchiha. If you wanted me dead, I would be already."

It was a completely logical argument, and he wondered idly if that meant her trust wasn't baseless, or if it even existed at all. That simply wouldn't do. "True as that may be, it is not an adequate reason for your lack of fear."

That seemed to give her pause, but it lasted no longer than a moment when she shook her head. "Since when have I ever been fearful of you?" She tipped her head and added, "After I patched you up all that time ago."

He conceded that she had a point there as well, but that was not a reason. "That is not what I asked."

Now she pursed her lips and crossed her arms; it made him realize that he had taken another step and was now looming over her. "I'm positive that you are here to kidnap me again. Not kill me, not torture me. Any fear would be baseless and illogical. Besides, I think I've been stuck with you long enough to get some kind of grip on your personality. You're not honestly all that scary when you're not trying to be."

Her words brought a frown to his lips as he considered the truth of her statement. Finding that there was indeed validity behind it, he decided that he would show her just why he was so widely feared. As far as he was concerned, it wouldn't hurt if she had a healthy dose of fear for him if he intended to continue using her.

"Be careful of the statements you declare, Kunoichi. They may turn out to be detrimental to your health."

* * *

When he had warned her to watch what she said, Sakura had found herself wary of just what he planned to do about her lack of fear in him. Itachi didn't go around making declarations like that for no reason; he made them with the intent to act on them.

It had made her cautious about letting him wrap an arm around her waist and sweep her feet off the ground. Sakura had bit her lip to keep herself from questioning just what the hell he had meant by what he said. Instead, she pondered what he wanted from her this time.

The last time he;d taken her, he had coerced her into assisting him with a reconnaissance assignment. He'd neglected to tell her why she was doing it or what was so important about a small merchant business, but he had been adamant about her getting any and all information she could on the group as a whole. She had made the mistake of sassily asking him why she was doing it instead of him. At the time, his crimson eyes had flicked to her with a sort of emotion she couldn't name past the malicious feel it gave. And when they had gotten to a town with a castle and police force, but no shinobi, she had learned the answer to her own question.

So this time around, she didn't deign to ask him anything about why he had sought her out again, lest she find herself in any more compromising situations. Repressing a shudder at the memory, she let her head fall against his shoulder, and her gaze focused on his face.

Idly she thought about how he seemed to have a habit of carrying her this way: like a bride being held by her groom. Immediately she shoved the thought away, refusing to let herself even think of going near the implications of that. So she dropped it all together and refocused on the possibilities of why he had kidnapped her again.

In the back of her mind, her alter ego asked candidly whether, if she was willingly going with him, then was it really kidnapping? Sakura stubbornly refused to answer because the alternative was that she was willingly helping a criminal. Not only did that mean she was committing an act of treason by not even bothering to fight him, but morally it meant that she was able to deal with this particular most-wanted criminal without a problem. The implications and extended reasoning of both made her quiver and shy from the topic all together.

Best to let that particular monster be. At least until she was ready to face it.

With the turns her thoughts kept taking, she was beginning to think it would be best to simply close her eyes and sleep. That way she didn't have to deal with her mind until he woke her. But even as she let her eyes slid shut, another thought occurred to her: what would it mean if she could fall asleep in a dangerous criminal's arms?

That went into the same category as letting herself be taken from her home without a fight and was thereby discarded immediately. The repercussions could be dealt with when she was strong enough to accept them. Until then, she was going to take a nap because she was tired. She wouldn't be of any use to Itachi if she couldn't perform at her best, so she wasn't going to pay any attention to where she was sleeping or whom she was in the presence of.

It wouldn't be that hard; all she had to do was pretend he was one of her boys or something. That thought gave her slight pause, and she quickly decided to discard the idea. She had a feeling it would be detrimental if she really could pretend that he was one of her boys. But if she didn't treat him like one of her boys, then napping soundly wasn't entirely possible either.

She frowned. Now things were just getting impossible. No matter what she thought about, it all seemed to lead back to the fact that she was willingly in Uchiha Itachi's arms and knew that she was going to end up helping him with whatever he'd sought her out for. It seemed that she really was going to have to face reality now if she wanted any peace of mind.

* * *

So caught up in her own thoughts, she didn't notice that the center of them had continually glanced down at her and was confused by the fluid change in her emotions even though her gaze hadn't strayed from his countenance. "Sleep, Kunoichi." Perhaps she was truly worn and simply needed the revival of sleep to return to her normal demeanor.

Green eyes widened before focusing to the appropriate intensity. She turned her head to look around them, but the only thing to observe was the passing trees that were blurred into a continuous green color. "Do we have a long way to go?"

He didn't respond, knowing she would take that as answer enough. He had contemplated letting her run as well, but he had neither the patience nor the time to make sure her tracks were covered or that she kept up. He wouldn't be carrying her otherwise. But since he was, she might as well as make the most of it and sleep while she was able.

The role she played in this assignment would be important, and since he trust no other to fulfill the position properly, he would make she sure was at nothing less than her best. The last time he'd kidnapped her to play a part in an assignment, he had witnessed first-hand where her shinobi abilities lay when it came to espionage and reconnaissance. It wasn't the level of an expert, but she wasn't mediocre either, and if she managed the same level of competence she'd shown before, then this assignment would go smoothly.

He saw no reason to inform her of what her role would be this time around; she did much better when forced to think on her feet. And since that was the only part of his plans that wasn't completely detailed, he didn't need to continually go over it. All of the kinks had been worked out and all flaws fixed. She would perform well and be back in Konoha at the end of the week.

Briefly, it occurred to him that it would be problematic if a search party was sent out for her. She wasn't the type to simply disappear for an entire week without reasonable cause. The last time he had taken her, she'd been back before the afternoon, and so he'd assumed that she had figured out how to deal with it.

What alibi would she find to excuse herself this time though? He had been careful to catch her during a time which no one else would know until at least morning that she wasn't where she was supposed to be, but he hadn't accounted for explaining an entire week.

Glancing down, he found that her gaze was on the passing forestry. Half-lidded eyes and relaxed muscles told him that she was lost in thought once more, though no closer to sleep than she had been before he'd told her to rest. If she was worn, why did she still refuse to sleep? The way she held her body informed him that she was perfectly at ease in his grasp. Again he was reminded of her blatant lack of fear at being so close to him, but he had no intention of making this harder on himself by demonstrating that she should be fearful. She wouldn't sleep if she was edgy.

Not that she was sleeping now. "Kunoichi."

Green eyes sought his once more. "I'm not tired."

Was it really so simple to her? Even though her body was exhausted and nothing was stopping her from falling into a slumber, she stayed awake because her mind wasn't ready to retire. That spoke volumes as to how little field work she had been doing recently. "That does not matter."

She sighed softly. "It does if I don't have an on-off switch."

Again he glanced down. If she wasn't ready to sleep, then he might as well appease his earlier thoughts of how her absence would be explained. "Then tell me how you explained the last time I took you for an assignment."

She paused, clearly caught off-guard at the sudden change in topic. "You left me in the forest. All I had to do was gather herbs that the hospital was low on." Simple, but efficient. As long as she didn't mention how long she had been out there or could account for any excess time, she had an alibi. And since her comrades and even her Hokage trusted her, the excuse wouldn't fall flat.

"That will not work this time."

The young woman didn't even bat an eye. "I figured as much. How long am I going to be gone?"

"A week."

There was silence as her gaze flew to his countenance. "A week? How the hell am I supposed to explain _that_?"

He glanced down long enough for her to see the warning in his eyes, allowing that to tell her he didn't appreciate her tone. "That is your problem."

Itachi didn't need to see her face to know that she was sporting a miffed and indignant expression. But his statement had insured she would focus on that rather than what had caused her consistent change in emotions over the last hour. He had no doubt she would figure something out; that sharp wit of hers was more than capable of coming up with a sufficient solution.

His keen senses told him that she had fixed her gaze on him once more, but as there was no ill intent radiating from her, he promptly ignored it. He had more important things to occupy his mind anyway, such as avoiding a group of hunter-nin on the edge of his senses.

* * *

By midmorning, Itachi had stopped and Sakura found herself jarred almost gently into wakefulness. She wasn't sure when she had nodded off, only that she had at some point while thinking of as many reasons and alibis she could come up with to explain a week-long absence.

She was pretty sure she had found a suitable reason, so long as her shishou didn't press more than the rosette was expecting her to. And as long as she got past both her Hokage and her team, she didn't have to worry all that much. And after that, she was pretty sure she had fallen asleep, happy she'd found a solution to the problem Itachi had imposed on her.

Green eyes glanced around, finding nothing but green trees and a small river off to the left. Absently, she rubbed her eyes out of habit and stretched a bit before registering more. She had been placed at the trunk of a large tree. A canteen was beside her, but no matter which way she looked, her traveling companion was not in the immediate vicinity.

Idly she wondered if she could get away, but smiled and shook her head. If she'd wanted to escape, she should have done so in the village or before she'd fallen asleep. Now she was simply too far from Konoha and there was no way she could outrun Itachi. In all honesty, the thought had been borne of the simple fact that she was with a criminal and nothing more. And she didn't care for it enough to give it any further contemplation.

Instead she shifted her body, stretching even more. Once her limbs felt loose and her muscles no longer tense, she crossed her legs under her and reached for the canteen that had been left with her. Half expecting it to be full, she unscrewed the cap, but then realized that it was completely empty. Which meant he expected her to fill it while he was off doing whatever.

Again she was struck with the simplicity of this situation. No amount of breaking it down made it sink in any faster either. The fact of the matter was that she wasn't bound, but he'd left her alone anyway. And he'd even left her to fill his water source. If that wasn't trust, she didn't know what it was. Snorting at the thought, she shook her head again. There was no way he trusted her; he must have simply come to a logical conclusion and thought she would come to it as well. When she thought about the possible logic behind it, she could see it. After all, she had just used it herself when she'd chosen not to run away.

Though no amount of logic took away from the odd and surreal feel of the situation she found herself in.

Pushing that thought away, she diligently filled the canteen and took a drink from it before refilling the part she had consumed. Once she was satisfied, she returned to the tree she'd been left at and settled cross-legged once more.

Her mind automatically turned to the possibilities of what assignment he was using her for this time. Would it be reconnaissance like last time, or did he require her assistance for something else? She didn't have long to think about it before Itachi reappeared once more, a handful of apples in his arms.

Unable to help herself, she smiled. "Do you like apples or something?"

He didn't deign to respond, not that she expected him to. Instead he settled on his haunches in front of her, handing over half of the apples as he did so.

"They are really good, not to mention healthy." For the next ten or so minutes, she chattered about apples and fruits in general, wondering when he would cast her a look to make her shut up. But it seemed the Uchiha had more tolerance for insignificant babble than she'd originally thought. She'd briefly entertained the thought of continuing her constant talking after they had gotten ready to head off again, but decided against it. Something told her she'd pushed her luck enough for the moment, and now it was time to be quiet again.

She found herself thrown for a loop when he motioned for her to walk. "You're not carrying me."

The sideways glance he afforded her bespoke of more than just a simple 'no' and she turned her head away so he wouldn't see her embarrassment in the face of her idiotic question. In her defense, all the times that they had traveled thus far, he had carried her. So the fact that they were walking was off. But she should have realized they hadn't stopped for a simple break to tide their appetites over.

"Do I at least get a hint at what you want me to do?"

Again he glanced at her, but this time it was much more contemplative. "Stay to my right and two steps behind me."

She blinked at the seemingly unimportant order, but switched sides and found a proper pace so as to do as he said. Itachi didn't say anything past that so she let her mind wonder as to _why_she was doing this. The possibilities kept her mind busy enough that she didn't come out of her stupor until they had come upon a town. It was bigger than the last one he'd taken her to, but she recognized it almost immediately. It didn't have a shinobi workforce either, however it did collect shinobi travelers. She also recognized that they were in a small land to the north of Fire Country and to the west of Rice Country.

What were they doing here?

A backwards glance from her companion told her that she wasn't keeping pace and she hurried back to where she was supposed to be. She would learn why they were soon enough, she supposed, and her thoughts would be better spent on anticipating Itachi's upcoming actions and just how she was expected to respond.

It was all she could do not to freeze on the spot when she saw exactly where Itachi was heading. Sakura forced herself not to flinch as she realized why he had brought her here. In the back of her mind, a voice that didn't belong to her alter ego whispered that she shouldn't have given the man beside her a reason to warn her of her lack of fear. But she was more preoccupied with how the hell she was going to get out of this mess alive, or even at all.

* * *

When Itachi came across her again, almost a day after she had successfully done her part, he was on his way back to Akatsuki Headquarters to report. He involuntarily thought about how they had left off on a hostile note. After the assignment was completed, an entire day earlier than he had expected it to be, she had turned on him with furious eyes.

He had known from the moment he brought her into the town that he had made miscalculation, he had overlooked something important. But when nothing went wrong and none of the implications were acted upon on either the kunoichi's part or his target's, he had decided that it wasn't important. Itachi didn't miss important details and though something had been remiss, it wasn't enough to be bothered with. The assignment had gone almost exactly as he'd planned and his kunoichi had fulfilled her role to the T.

However, he hadn't expected her to react as she had afterwards. He had not anticipated that she would threaten him, or that she would pull a weapon on him. Clearly what he had missed was enough to affect his relationship with her, but he decided the priority would be to deal with her and the threat she'd made herself into.

After all, Itachi didn't take threats well. Not inwardly, anyway. He liked challenges, certainly, but open threats were not something he tolerated from anyone. Not even her.

When she had charged at him, he'd quickly grabbed her wrist, the one with the kunai aimed for his heart, and yanked hard. She had been thrown off balance and ended up slamming into his chest with the force of his pull.

She'd growled, snarling to be let free. He had merely met her gaze with flashing eyes.

Leaning down, he had whispered right into her ear, "Threaten me again, Kunoichi, and you won't live to regret it." That had not been how he wanted to remind her that he was a dangerous criminal and that she should have at least some fear of him, but it had yielded the result he wanted.

And just as easily he'd let go, stepping back as he did so. Black eyes had appraised her for a few moments as she stared at him with angry eyes and a heaving chest.

Then he'd turned and walked away.

But now he could see that his miscalculation hadn't just thrown a wrench in the relationship that had been building between them; it had been detrimental to her physically.

The pink-haired kunoichi was curled in on herself, sitting far too close to a small fire before her. Just by the way she held her body he knew she was gravely wounded. There was no reason for her to be sitting the way she was or for her to have been so insufficient about pitching a fire. No reason other than being too wounded to do better. By that token, her chakra must have been too low to fix such a problematic wound.

Again, he thought about just what he could have possibly missed that would leave her in this condition. What was so important that she had been willing to threaten him and risk death for it in the process?

It took him less than a moment to decide to seek an answer. Clearly this was a situation that required immediate attention; the alternative was leaving her be. And common sense told him that ignoring her would be the same as condemning her to death. He wouldn't allow that because she was his, and he didn't like losing things that belonged to him before they had served their usefulness. And Sakura definitely still had plenty of use left in her.

Approaching her without being noticed took almost no effort. He frowned at how dulled her senses were to have allowed such a thing when he wasn't even suppressing his chakra. Still, he used it to his advantage, making sure she didn't notice him until it was too late.

Crouching mere inches behind her, he moved quick as snake to secure her. His arms wrapped around her torso, crossing and pressing down on her kneecaps; her arms were effectively trapped to her sides and she couldn't move her legs to kick at him.

That didn't stop her from struggling, however. He was well aware that she had a strong will, and the fact that she still had enough strength to fight him meant there was a good chance she would recover from her injured state. That was placating at the very least, balancing the fact that she was using that will to fight him. But he would deal with the latter later, when her life was not endangered.

For the time being, he resolved to simply wait until she had calmed down enough for him to release her and see to her wounds. It took longer than he would have liked, and included her growling at him to let her go, but in time she did.

Eventually she was still, letting her body go limp in his hold. Itachi waited only a moment longer before shifting, and proceeded to pull her backwards until her back was snug against his chest and she was settled in his lap. Her entire body tensed, but she didn't seem inclined to try fighting him again.

"Let me go." Her voice was soft, almost a plea.

It irked him once more that she would take such a tone with him when she never had before, but he pushed aside his own emotions. He would address them afterwards.

"Do not fight me, Kunoichi." With that final warning, he slowly eased up on his hold and careful sought for the source of her wounds. Most of them seemed to be deep gashes in her abdominal region, and he was willing to bet that all of the life threatening ones were right there. He could feel broken ribs under his searching hands as he sought the zipper of her shirt, but he knew there was nothing he could do about those.

She remained completely still until he found her zipper. Before he could pull it down so he could see the extent of the damage, her hand shot up and grabbed his own in an attempt to keep it from moving. He frowned. Was she so adamant about fighting him that she would not accept his help when she clearly needed it? "Kunoichi."

"What do you want from me, Itachi?" Soft and begging, but unmoving all the same.

He narrowed his crimson eyes. She should know the answer to that by now. "If you do not remove your hand, you will bleed to death."

Green eyes flinched, but she didn't retract her arm. "Answer me."

"Foolish girl, you already know the answer."

Still she didn't move.

"Are you willing to take death if it means not accepting my help?"

"I trusted you, and you put me in situation that would have gotten me killed." He frowned, but chose not to interrupt; she seemed to be willing to tell him just what he had overlooked. "I would have thought that someone as infamous as you would have thought to make sure I didn't have a connection to that town before you used me. I would have thought that you would have known that particular town holds a grudge against Konoha because of me." She paused, her quiet voice growing quieter. "I guess not."

Itachi remained still for a long moment, realizing that he hadn't missed anything when he'd chosen her. He hadn't overlooked anything; he simply hadn't thought such a detail in his research wouldn't have caused any problems.

"I did not betray your trust." He had no intention of losing what he had apparently gained from her. Trust would go a long way in keeping her close, and it would make her even more useful to him.

"No." She agreed. "You just misused it carelessly."

His grasp unintentionally tightened. But there was no way around the fact that she had spoken the trut;, he had made a careless mistake and she had paid for it. However, she was not dead, and he could rectify it. "Remove your hand."

She was still for a moment longer, but she let it drop limply in her lap. After that, the Haruno gave him no further trouble as he meticulously healed and bandaged her wounds. Once he was satisfied, he let his hands fall from her body.

Sakura didn't move. She hadn't fallen asleep, yet she didn't seem inclined to move. "This doesn't change anything to you, does it?"

He didn't answer; she would reach her own conclusions.

"You nearly got me killed, but as far as you're concerned, I'm still 'yours'." Crimson eyes sharpened, his gaze focusing on her completely. The flippant tone she had taken on rankled, especially as she refused to even glance at him. She shrugged, smiling humorlessly. "I guess doesn't matter though, since you bandaged me up."

Itachi narrowed his eyes, intending to say something to her. Only to realize something very important. He had watched her, seen her react with others, enough to know what it meant when she acted despondently. Sakura was a very emotion-based person; when she put distance between herself and someone else, it meant she'd been hurt. She felt that her heart had been mistreated and she was taking measures to make sure that it didn't happen again.

It was such a simple concept, but it accounted entirely for her behavior since just over a week ago.

The Uchiha didn't have any experience with repairing something like a wounded heart, but he did have experience dealing with this particular kunoichi. Enough experience to know that a little effort went a long way with her; as long as she was willing to acknowledge that he was trying to fix his mistake, then that made it infinitely easier to actually fix it.

However, past an expressed desire, he wasn't certain how to go about the task of showing that he was trying or even trying in general.

As he turned over possibilities in his mind, the woman still in his lap turned sideways. The movement garnered his attention in time to see her wince at having jarred her wounds, but then she wrapped her arms around his neck. "Just take me home."

Crimson eyes watched her for a moment longer, before he slowly curled his arms around her body and climbed to his feet. She seemed determined to hide her face in the cloth of his shirt, but he found himself undaunted.

With Sakura, that meant this was the start. She had given him the small piece he had needed to begin the process of regaining her trust once more.

Uchiha Itachi had always been a quick learner, and he knew that if he wanted to keep her, then he would need that trust. And once he had it, he had no intention of letting it slip through his fingers again.


	78. 154 Meet: Her

**Title:** Moments in Time: A Close Up

**Author:** AppleL0V3R

**Beta-reader:** SymphoniaFreak

**Fandom:** Naruto

**Pairing:** Uchiha Itachi and Haruno Sakura

**Chapter:** Seventy-Eight – #154 Meet: Her.

**Rating:** T

**Type:** One-shot – Complete

**Summary:** Prompts from Moments in Time that I was requested to expand on. 78. 154 – Meet: Her. She doesn't really stick out, but he remembers her vividly each time they meet.

**Word Count:** 1,975

**Disclaimer:** If you've heard of it before, then it's obviously not mine.

**Note:** As the summary states these, are skits I was asked to turn into actual works. I will always put which one it was and the skit just before the chapter. They won't be in numerical order because I'm doing them as I'm requested. They won't be any more than one-shots though they may become two to five –shots (I will forewarn when that happens) but they won't become stories unless I choose to.

**Request by:** Anime Freak456, theonesakura and snorkabuziaczek

**Edited on:** February 26, 2012

* * *

154. Meet (Sakura)

Meeting 1:

She stands behind her best friend; not really waiting on him, but she's his secretary because otherwise his desk wouldn't be half as clean as it is or his priorities nearly as in order as they should be. His glance flickers over her, and she smiles briefly.

Meeting 2:

She shuffles the papers into a neat order, dancing around her sleeping boss. Itachi pauses in the doorway; he'd been about to ask something of Sasuke. But she smiles and holds her index finger to her lips even as she grabs the papers being offered up.

Meeting 3:

His phone falls from the stack of papers, and he curses. Suddenly, she is there and she grabs it from the floor. And with that smile of hers, she puts it back in his pocket. His eyes never leave her face.

* * *

Meeting 1:

His quiet strides lead him though halls and between the desks and past doorways; he's walked this path to his own office so many times that he's sure he could do it in his sleep. But when a flash a pink appears in the corner of his eye, he instinctively stops to see what it is; after all it's not common in a police department where blue and black are the more dominating colors.

Itachi finds himself in the doorway of his younger brother's office, the source of pink belonging to the hair color of a woman around Sasuke's age. Sakura. She stands behind her best friend, not really waiting on him – the green-eyed woman is just a smidgen too proud to do such a thing – but she's his secretary because otherwise his desk wouldn't be half as clean as it is or his priorities nearly as in order as they should be. His glance flickers over to her, and she smiles briefly.

He only stays there for a moment; he doesn't have any business with his brother and certainly no reason to bother either one of them. So after nodding back to her and neglecting to even glance at Sasuke one last time, he pivots on his heel and continues on down the hall. His office is at the end of the long hallway of doors and conjoining halls, probably to symbolize that he is ahead of every other office in this sector and that all of them must be gone through before getting to him. But he doesn't really care for the symbolism of the building's layout, just that his work gets to him, and back to whoever will need it next.

As he comes to the doorway of his own office, about to open the door, yet again he pauses. That was the first time he'd met the pink-haired woman that he's heard about so much throughout the years. She is just as kindred and friendly as his brother has always said she is, but he didn't see any of the fiery temper she's supposed to have. But he knows that it was only a passing meeting, not even a word exchanged, so he figures that the next one will show more of her personality than this one did. Until then, he has work to do.

* * *

Meeting 2:

It's been a long time since he felt swamped in paperwork, but it seems to cover every available surface of his desk and piled haphazardly upward from there. It makes him frown, but he knuckles down with sheer determination to get all of it, or at least most of it, done today. First, he separates everything into stacks according to what each document calls for, and it intrigues him to see that most are documents that need to get to other desks soon.

He has a habit of doing those first so that the rest can be done at his leisure. So he sorts them out into piles of who they will go to, and by the time he's done with that, the stack doesn't seem so formidable now. Though that probably has more to do with the fact that a good chunk of it is going to Sasuke. He smirks faintly at the passing thought that the younger male will throw a tantrum when he sees all of these. As his right-hand, Itachi knows that if he has a lot of paperwork, then his brother is getting more than usual as well.

But there is protocol to be observed, and if it means getting these papers off his desk quickly and efficiently, then the young chief doesn't mind causing his sibling more work. Besides, he's certain that more than half of it will be done by the only pink-haired assistant who can put up with Sasuke for long periods of time. He's heard from his brother's best friend and coworker, Uzumaki, that the rosette had always been more of the deskwork type of person between the three and she is still the same way to this day. Even with that foreknowledge, it crosses his mind to tell the younger man to do most of the work himself. Dark eyes glance at his desk again; that topic can be debated later. For now, he has papers to hand off and a few questions to be answered.

Armed with the papers, he makes the familiar trek to the other Uchiha's office. When he gets there, Sakura is shuffling a pile of papers that are almost proportionate to the ones waiting on his desk. But that's not what catches his eye or causes him to pause in the doorway. Instead, it's the fact that she is almost literally dancing around her boss who has his head in one palm and elbow propped on the desk, his eyes are closed. It seems any questions or statements about having the pink-haired secretary doing a good chunk of the paperwork will have to wait.

He almost smiles when she glances up to him, a bemused, knowing look in her green eyes as she motions exasperatedly to Sasuke. Again words come to mind, but these ones are for her; however, almost as if reading it off his face, she shakes her head, and then she smiles and holds her index finger to her lips. Stepping lightly around the desk full of papers, she reaches out to him, grabbing the stack of papers as if they aren't as heavy as he knows they are.

Itachi stays there longer than he had in their last meeting, watching as she turns back and finds a place to put down the new additions without making so much as a peep. Part of him wants to stay longer; to see what happens when his brother wakes, but just looking at the desk reminds him that he has his own duties to attend to. And he has no secretary to help him do all of his paperwork so he really has no time to watch and wait.

Still, he stays just another moment before turning back around and retracing his steps to his office. Though his thoughts turn to the young woman who is his little brother's best friend. His first meeting with her showed him a soft, friendly side; this one has shown him a playful side of her. He wonders how many sides the woman has, and how many meetings it will take to uncover them all.

* * *

Meeting 3:

It is weeks later when he meets her again, interacts with her again. In the weeks after their second meeting, he has begun to take notice of her, and every time he sees her, she always seems to be with another. A smile rests on her face or a laugh spills from her mouth as she talks amiably with whoever is beside her, and there are a lot of people who will walk with her. As far as he has seen, she knows all of the members of their department, having spoken or interacted with all of them on at least one occasion. And if he remembers correctly, Sasuke has commented, usually dourly, that Sakura is very social and doesn't see anything wrong with spending all of her free time with others.

Itachi doesn't think much of noticing her more frequently now than he ever has; the woman seems to be remarkable in her own right and is curious to watch when he has the time. He nods to the rosette absently when she falls in-step with him for a time, and she smiles back at him in that same way she always does before turning in a different direction. His mind turns to the current case that has most of his officers pulling doubles and working off of coffee while trying to solve it. Most don't realize that as the chief, when he's not leading the operations, he has to sit behind his desk and do all of the paperwork, including reading over the reports that are handed into him.

And it is cases like these that make him thankful that he has his brother as second-in-command; it means less of his time is focused on paperwork and more of it is centered on the case. Though now he knows it's not just his brother's efficiency, but his secretary's effort that allows for this.

When he stops at the desk of an old friend of his, he talks to the blonde-haired man for a moment. His black eyes rest on the small phone that will replace his old one, listening to the bomb-expert as he explains how this one is better than the last. After a few moments, he nods his farewell to the man and reaches for the phone just as the desk is bumped. His phone falls from the stack of papers, and he curses quietly.

Suddenly, she is there and she grabs it from the floor. And with that smile of hers, she puts it in the pocket he prefers to keep it in. His eyes never leave her face. "Thank you."

She keeps smiling as she shakes her head, pink hair moving with the action. "You are welcome, Sir." Sakura stares into his eyes for a just a few moments longer before she turns to look at the blonde. Itachi notices the mischievous look in his friend's blue eyes and knows what it means. But before he can warn him not to say anything, the young woman beside him greets Deidara cheerfully and by name. His gaze turns back to her with mild surprise when she warns the blonde with a thinly veiled threat that whatever he's thinking, he shouldn't act on it.

Deidara simply grins back cheekily and says that it isn't his fault if he notices chemistry between his department chief and the assistant of the Itachi's second-in-command.


	79. 155 Kiss me: Declarations

**Title:** Moments in Time: A Close Up

**Author:** AppleL0V3R

**Beta-reader:** SymphoniaFreak

**Fandom:** Naruto

**Pairing:** Uchiha Itachi and Haruno Sakura

**Chapter:** Seventy-Nine – #155 Kiss Me: Declarations

**Rating:** T

**Type:** One-shot – Complete

**Summary:** Prompts from Moments in Time that I was requested to expand on. 79. 155 – Kiss me: Declarations. Sakura loved her spouse, but it rankled when decided important decisions by himself.

**Word Count:** 3,260

**Disclaimer:** If you've heard of it before, then it's obviously not mine.

**Note:** As the summary states, these are skits I was asked to turn into actual works. I will always put which one it was and the skit just before the chapter. They won't be in numerical order because I'm doing them as I'm requested. They won't be any more than one-shots though they may become two to five –shots (I will forewarn when that happens) but they won't become stories unless I choose to.

**Request by:** Anime Freak456 and theonesakura

**Edited on: **March 13, 2012

* * *

155. Kiss Me (Itachi)

Suddenly fire burned in her eyes. What he'd done to ruffle her feathers this time, he wasn't sure. But he enjoyed the sight of her eyes coming to life. Certainly they were usually full of life, but when she was livid, it was a sight like no other, and he always etched it into his memory, unable to get enough of it.

"Uchiha." Her voice shook with the force of her anger. He didn't even flinch.

"Next time you go announcing our relationship to the world, I'd appreciate it if you didn't do it falsely. I haven't agreed to be your wife yet, so you can't call me it."

Oh, that? That could be easily fixed.

"I thought I was clear. You are my wife."

* * *

Itachi tended to like habits; if something worked, then there was no sense in changing it unnecessarily. However, when time and circumstance forced the need for change, he did his best find a satisfying solution to settle into once more. So it was very logical to him, when his father asked whom he intended to marry, that his answer would be the young woman whom he was courting. He had thought nothing of informing his parents they would be married when his girlfriend decided on a date.

Needless to say, Mikoto had been delighted, and Fugaku had been satisfied knowing the bride-to-be would be suitable as a Clan Head's wife.

Sasuke, though, had waited until both their parents were out of hearing range to ask if the heir had asked Sakura to marry him yet. Seeing no reason to lie, Itachi stated that he had not, but his spouse was very clear that she wanted to spend the rest of her life with him; so surely she would say yes, no matter when he asked her. His little brother had snorted in that way of his that had the elder of the two narrowing his eyes. There were only a handful of people who knew the kunoichi nearly as well as he did, and his brother was one of them. So for him to be amused by the reply Itachi had given meant that he should see to the matter much more quickly.

He didn't need any bumps in the road simply because he made a logical conclusion; Sakura wasn't the most logical of people after all. She was sensible and intelligent certainly, but she tended to leave such matters to her heart rather than her head.

So he planned to speak to her on the matter as soon as possible to eliminate any possibility of her causing a fuss over the matter. Not that he foresaw such a problem; after all, asking her to marry him would only make her decision to stay with him official. And the chance presented itself the next time he saw her.

He had just returned home from a simple reconnaissance mission though, to his chagrin, it had ended up being more of a babysitting mission as he showed the newest batch of recruits the ropes. For one reason or another, the Godaime Hokage derived some sort of humor out of saddling him with them every now and again. The first time he had seen the logic, but he hadn't been any more willing to do such a thing again anytime soon. This was the fifth time she had done this to him, and now he was seeing that she enjoyed his reactions more than the discipline the recruits learned.

And out of retaliation, instead heading directly for the Hokage's Tower to deliver his report, he detoured to his pink-haired lover's apartment. He knew she would be working the afternoon shift, which meant she would be trying to sleep in as much as possible this morning. Itachi was proven correct when he silently padded into her apartment and found her fast asleep, hunched over her coffee table with papers strewn around and under her. The sight incited a soft smile at how simply picturesque this scene was. He had seen it many times before; Sakura was notorious for passing out because she'd overworked herself after all, and he knew he would see it many more times over the following years. It was a habit he didn't bother breaking since he was also a workaholic and knew how much finishing her tasks meant to her.

He disarmed himself of any unnecessary materials, leaving them on the chair by the door, and bent down to slip his shoes off before proceeding to kneel beside the young woman. The evidence of her late night was only present in minor hints: the way she hardly even stirred at his close proximity, her mussed hair, the pencil still firmly in hand, and the still half-full cup of coffee a few inches away from her free hand. But there were no black rings under her eyes and no wrinkles in her pretty forehead; her countenance bespoke the serenity of her sleep and her peace of mind despite the obviously uncomfortable position.

Reaching out, he nudged and tugged in a few choice places until she was cradled snuggly in the circle of his arms. Of her own accord, she blindly sought the crook his neck and proceeded to nestle her face into it before finally breathing out a contented sigh and a muffled, "Welcome back, Itachi." And then she settled back into her sleeping state.

His black eyes warmed fractionally as he watched her for a few moments longer. Deciding that the Hokage and any conversation about marriage could wait until she roused from her sleep once more, he lifted her up as he climbed to his feet. It took no effort or even the aid of sight to find her room and settle the both of them into her large, queen-sized bed. And with a few, quick maneuvers, all of his ANBU captain uniform was promptly placed in a neat pile beside the bed, leaving him in nothing but black slacks.

However, not even ten minutes later, their peace was disrupted by the males of Team 7 and the support of Sakura's Yamanaka best friend. Not one of the four deigned to be any kind of quiet; even the two normally silent members seemed to be making unnecessary noises, though the root of it seemed to be the blondes present.

Mildly agitated, Itachi attempted to soothe his stirring lover back into her slumber once more. Rude awakenings tended to leave Sakura crabby for at least a few hours after she'd been woken and the matter dealt with unless, of course, she was otherwise calmed, but that always took a tremendous effort. And as he still planned to propose, he didn't particularly feel like getting any undue abuse simply because her sleep had been unnecessarily interrupted.

After he had managed to get her to curl back into him and settle into unconsciousness once more, he turned his attention to the uninvited guests currently invading Sakura's bedroom. Both blondes sported determined and indignant expressions whereas the artist seemed nothing more than nonchalant, and his own brother looked distinctly disgruntled. The ANBU captain didn't bother to debate if his presence and intimate position with their pink-haired teammate had anything to do with their countenances, but he was curious as to why they were even in the apartment in the first place. It begged the question as to what he had missed in his weeklong absence.

"Aniki." Sasuke greeted quietly, but there was deliberateness about the way he pointedly glanced at his teammate and asked, "Why are you here?"

Itachi didn't even miss a beat, his black eyes resting heavily on his brother. "This is my wife's house; I believe I don't need any more reason than that to be here."

Four faces turned morphed into shock in tandem with the respective personalities, though his otouto still appeared more disgruntled than surprised. After all, the boy had known it was coming; he probably just didn't expect it to be so soon.

"Says who?" Uzumaki demanded hotly, seeming to recover quickly enough to sink straight into denial.

Twin pairs of black eyes flicked to the brash young man's countenance, one agitated and the other unfazed. But it was the elder brother who responded first, tone almost mocking. "Sakura."

Almost as if called from the depths of sleep, the pink-haired young woman moaned softly, pressing more fully against her lover as she did so. But he knew better than to think she was simply settling into a more comfortable position; this was always how she began to stir from her sleep when she was allowed to do so on her own. She would make a low noise in the back of her throat, and then she would stretch her limbs until they shook slightly before settling closer to him if possible.

And then those green eyes would appear behind a half-lidded gaze. Her smile was lazy as she pushed onto her elbow to kiss him by way of greeting him. "Good morning, _Anata_."

He marveled at the way she proved his point for him all on her own. Granted, he was used to starting off mornings this way with her and had even expected the term of endearment she never thought twice about addressing him with. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw both blondes gap at the spouses though the distinct difference was that betrayal festered in solid blue while excitement shone in two-tone blue. Rather than remain nonchalant as the ex-ROOT member had been through the whole exchange, Sai was now blinking, clearly off-balance. And lastly was Sasuke; the younger Uchiha looked like he wanted nothing more than to disappear right then.

Amusement and satisfaction surfaced, but he ignored it in favor of focusing on the female in his arms. "Good morning." Even though it was quiet and without much infliction in his tone, it still garnered an even wider smile out of the still sleepy young woman.

She stayed still a moment longer before finally sighing quietly. "What do you four want?" Flipping her body over, she settled her bare feet on the ground and let her gaze flicker between her uninvited guests before finally staying on Sasuke.

Except it wasn't the raven-haired shinobi who answered her but instead her blonde teammate. Still looking flabbergasted and outraged, he moved forward to grab Sakura's shoulders and all but yanked her off the bed. "You're married? And to...to Itachi?" Green eyes blinked as she tried to gain her bearings while her best friend all but flailed his arms about, looking like chicken with its head cut off but not yet ready to start running around. If it weren't for the fact that she was still digesting what he'd just said, she would have found the sight quite comedic.

The pink-haired woman turned to her boyfriend of two years with a questioning look in her eyes. However, the man's nonchalant countenance and relaxed body posture gave her nothing to work with. One glance at her other teammate who wasn't freaking out told her realization was dawning on him, though for what reason she couldn't fathom.

All she could think about was that it was _way_ too early for inane crap to be turning her day chaotic without her even knowing what the problem was. Seriously, where did Naruto get the idea that she was _married_, of all things? Sure she was very affectionate towards Itachi, but that was nothing new, even if her surrogate siblings hadn't seen her cuddle with her boyfriend save for a handful of occasions. And certainly, Itachi could be possessive when he felt someone was trying to make a move on her, but that wasn't too often either.

And then Naruto's words crossed her mind once more, and she yanked around quickly as she shoved her fists into her hips. "Itachi."

He was propping his body on one elbow lazily, and in response to her tone that she usually used to get her boys to submit, he merely raised an eyebrow, clearly undaunted. She knew instinctively that no amount of pushing or prodding was going to get him to answer her with her makeshift family still in the room.

She felt a flash of irritation at his unruffled demeanor and how he refused to be cornered, even when he knew that he was in trouble. Granted, she also knew that was part of his charm, which probably made her temper simmer and settle at the same time. Everything about him managed to cause her conflicting emotions that resulted in more conflicted emotions. Well, that wasn't entirely true; there was no way around the fact that she loved him, and no way to dispute that fact either.

Huffing she turned back to her comrades. "Guys, whatever you're here for is going to have to wait." She lifted both hands in a placating gesture when three of the four began to protest. "I have someone to deal with first so unless it's a life or death matter," she paused to give Naruto a pointed look, "my definition by the way, then it can wait with the rest of you _in the living room_. Now shoo." With that said, she began to hustle all of them out of the room. Sai was the easiest as he had no objections in the first place, seeming too caught up in his confusion. Sasuke was no easier than the two blondes, but he was infinitely more quiet and definitely more prickly about it.

Sakura frowned, knowing she was going to have a headache before the hour was over, and she knew that afternoon was still a long way away. Sometimes she really hated having a pushy, vocal family and an irritatingly, lovable spouse.

Once she had the door shut, she spun on her heel to face the root of this sudden mess.

Fire burned in her eyes. What he'd done to ruffle her feathers this time, he wasn't sure. But he enjoyed the sight of her eyes coming to life. Certainly they were usually full of life, but when she was livid, it was a sight like no other, and he always etched it into his memory, unable to get enough of it. He wondered idly if this had anything to do with what the Uzumaki had shouted earlier, and if that had any relation to the way Sasuke had reacted when he'd told his parents they were married.

"Uchiha." Her voice shook with the force of her anger. He didn't even flinch. There was no need to; she would not threaten him even in her infuriated state and she wouldn't love him any less. There was no foreseeable problem, and therefore no reason to shy.

"Next time you go announcing our relationship to the world, I'd appreciate it if you didn't do it falsely. I haven't agreed to be your wife yet, so you can't call me it."

That was her problem? So Sasuke had been right that she wouldn't react well to not being asked for her hand first. However, he knew that could be easily fixed.

"I thought I was clear. You are my wife."

She openly gapped at him. "Are you deaf, _A-na-ta_?" The kunoichi took slow steps towards him as she placed emphasis on the term of endearment. Warning bells went off on his head, but outwardly he refused to give way to her, watching intently as she approached. "I said, I'm not your wife because you haven't asked me yet." She paused, and her eyes took on that wicked, daring glint that tended to preside in predators closing in on their prey. "Unless, of course, I missed that conversation."

He nodded once. "You did not. But you yourself have said that you would love to spend the rest of your life with me, no matter what. That is the very essence of marriage, is it not?"

That right there was a prime example of why she couldn't figure out _how the hell_ she'd fallen in love with this man. Giving him the best scowl she could manage, Sakura shook her head. "You are missing the point, Itachi." With an exasperated noise, she repeated herself, hoping that if she said it enough times, he would get the point. "You didn't ask me for my hand, so you can't say that I am your wife. _Not even_if you know that I would very much love to be your wife."

Dark eyes were calculating as he watched her, bouncing equally from intense to analyzing. Finally, he simply nodded again, but this time he moved to sit up, his motions slow as though he had all the time in the world. And she watched him, the shinobi in her urging her to be on her guard while the lover in her dismissed the urge as ridiculous. She settled for paying attention to what he was doing while tensing to react.

Once Itachi was sitting up directly in front of her, he quickened his pace. Like pouncing jungle cat, he was on his feet and grabbing her hips to pull her flush against him in one single, fluid motion. Instead of being surprised or caught-off guard by the suddenness of which she found herself in his embrace, Sakura found herself idly wondering how it was fair that her boyfriend had more effortless gracefulness in simple movements than she could manage when she was concentrating. But when she tipped her head back to meet his gaze, the thought was quickly abandoned in favor of blanking her mind. His blue-black eyes were mesmerizing in their intensity and her heart skipped to a quicker beat because she knew that look. It meant she would not be speaking to her friends for quite a while, and she didn't mind in the least.

"Will you be my wife, Haruno Sakura?"

It was scarcely a question, and she knew he was simply humoring her with the words. But all the same, her heart almost stopped as her whole body seemed to warm and soften at the same time. Emotions vied to be the forefront of the storm he'd easily thrown her into. All she do was smile the largest smile she ever had and nod her head emphatically. "I would love to." She paused, and grinned mischievously. "My Husband."

Before he could say anything back, she reached up on her tiptoes and kissed her fiancé.


	80. 157 Lip Stick: Phone Number

**Title:** Moments in Time: A Close Up

**Author:** AppleL0V3R

**Beta-reader:** SymphoniaFreak

**Fandom:** Naruto

**Pairing:** Uchiha Itachi and Haruno Sakura

**Chapter:** Eighty – #157 Lip Stick: Phone Number.

**Rating:** T

**Type:** One-shot – Complete

**Summary:** Prompts from Moments in Time that I was requested to expand on. 80. 157 – Lip Stick: Phone Number. Oh, he definitely got more than a phone number written on his arm.

**Word Count:** 2,050

**Disclaimer:** If you've heard of it before, then it's obviously not mine.

**Note:** As the summary states, these are skits I was asked to turn into actual works. I will always put which one it was and the skit just before the chapter. They won't be in numerical order because I'm doing them as I'm requested. They won't be any more than one-shots though they may become two to five –shots (I will forewarn when that happens) but they won't become stories unless I choose to.

To be honest, I think my bubbly good mood that got me through the recent expansions quickly has worn off. That or I'm just not in the mood to be writing cute, fluffy, or humorous. So, if this feels either lacking or forced, my apologies.

**Request by:** Anime Freak456, Uzumaki .Arashi .67 and theonesakura

**Edited on:** March 31, 2012

* * *

157. Lip Stick (Itachi)

Deidara glared at Itachi. "Fine, Uchiha. If you're so damn good with girls, how about you go get a date with that chick? And I want to see written proof in lip stick."

Itachi glanced in the direction Deidara indicated to see a pink-haired teen browsing through lip wear.

She sighed and put yet another tube back. "None of these look good. How am I supposed to impress anybody if I look like a circus clown?"

Before he could check himself, he padded forward. When he was close enough, he picked up a certain color after a quick scan and handed it to her. "Perhaps you should try this one?"

She glanced up, startled, and took it. Holding it up to her lips, she seemed to like the color. Then she smiled and nodded. "Then perhaps I owe you."

* * *

Shopping for any reason was not something he'd ever really been keen on, but he also knew that it was necessary every now and again. Still he found himself all but stuck inside the local mall because his best friend decided they needed to pick up a few things. How that translated into going to the mall, he wasn't sure. Although he was fairly certain that the fact they had ended up in the most crowded part of said mall was definitely a ploy to irritate him, no matter how many times his blonde haired companion tried to claim that this particular store was the only one that carried the stuff he was looking for.

Itachi had tossed his friend a disbelieving look, but shrugged, figuring that he'd get the other back at a later time. After all, he was pretty sure this had something to do with the fact that he had dragged Deidara to a family dinner that had made the young man highly uncomfortable. Sociable he may be, but political he was not. It was part of the reason why the two of them got along half as well as they did; one was polite while the other talkative. Although the blonde could be irritatingly juvenile when he wanted to, and it always ended up with the raven-haired college student in awkward or troubling situations. Like this one.

Still he stayed quiet and close as Deidara purposely took his sweet time in looking for whatever it was the two of them were there for. He watched silently, only speaking when his friend said something that he felt warranted either a comment or an answer. It didn't catch him in the least off guard when the blonde stated out of the blue that some 'hot chicks' were staring at him. Itachi didn't even bother to glance in the indicated direction, merely stating that it was their prerogative what they chose to look at.

Deidara glared at Itachi. "Fine, Uchiha. If you're so damn good with girls, how about you go get a date with that chick? And I want to see written proof in lip stick." The raven-haired man was mildly amused by how they had gone from him being the object of a few unknown girls' eyes to him being 'damn good' and getting date with one. But he didn't bother to object to the logic behind it as he was pretty sure the reasoning behind the change in topic made sense to the blonde alone.

Itachi glanced in the direction Deidara indicated to see a pink-haired teen browsing through lip wear. With the way she was so absorbed in her search, it was clear that she wasn't among the girls the blue-eyed teen had pointed out moments before. The girl's hair color was so unique that it almost seemed familiar, like he'd seen her somewhere before. Even if he hadn't just been challenged, he found himself curious. So with a curt nod he answered simply, "Is that a bet?"

The other young man grinned back at him. "Not a chance, Uchiha. Now go."

If he were anyone else, Itachi would have snorted. Instead he moved closer so he could be within hearing range before beginning to make a plan of action. Clearly the best way to approach her was to give her what she was looking for or to at least strike up a conversation about it.

He heard her sigh; it was a soft breathy noise, as she put yet another tube back. "None of these look good. How am I supposed to impress anybody if I look like a circus clown?"

Before he could check himself, he padded forward. When he was close enough, he picked up a certain color after a quick scan and handed it to her. "Perhaps you should try this one?" Between her cotton candy hair color and vibrant green eyes, that particular shade had looked like it would be the most appealing on her.

She glanced up, startled, but took the tube from him anyway. Holding it up to her lips, she seemed to like the color as reflected to her in the mirror. Turning back to him, she smiled and nodded. "Then perhaps I owe you."

Part of him was amazed by how easily he had garnered her favor, but then he realized that she must be an easy-to-please sort of person. That suited him just fine; it would make his attempts to get a possible date with her that much simpler. And the simplest route that he saw was to take advantage of the favor he'd been offered. He studied her for a moment, more curious about why she was familiar than anything else. He canted his head slightly. "You look familiar."

She bit out a startled laugh, but kept smiling as she reached up to tug on her short pink hair. "Really? I could be wrong, but natural pink hair isn't common around these parts."

"No." He agreed, bemusedly shaking his head. "It's not."

She shrugged and offered up a possibility. "Maybe we've been around each other before?" She turned her head slightly, toward the sound of some women chattering nearby, before focusing back on him.

"Perhaps." He conceded; that seemed more likely than having actually met her. He would have remembered meeting a girl with pink hair. But for the life of him, he couldn't place where he might have seen her. "What's your name?"

She blinked innocently with a barely veiled mischievous twinkle that indicated insincerity, but the way she did so was unmistakably familiar. As if everything had clicked into place with that one action, he realized exactly where he knew her from. "I don't know," She drawled. "I was taught not to give personal information to strangers." As she spoke, she motioned for him to follow as she turned and headed in the direction of a cash register.

It was his turn to chuckle, as he nodded. "While that is mere common sense, it doesn't apply because we aren't strangers."

This time, when her green eyes blinked, it was out of genuine surprise. "Um, okay. And why aren't we strangers?"

He cocked his head to the side slightly. "You are still very good friends with my little brother, Uchiha Sasuke."

She stopped walking and instead of blinking, coughed dryly; if she had been drinking something, he was fairly certain she would have just spit it out. Not very ladylike, he mused, raising an eyebrow at her as she pounded her chest with a fist in an attempt to regain her composure. Once she had finally straightened once more she tossed him an incredulous expression. "_You_ are the infamous Uchiha Itachi?"

It was his turn to blink. "You've heard about me?"

She nodded, looking more amused than surprised as each moment passed, and she had begun sauntering once more. "When we were kids, I swear he practically hero-worshiped you."

His eyebrow arched again, miffed at this bit of knowledge. Certainly, he had known that Sasuke had looked up to him as a child, always wanting to play and spend time with his aniki, but Itachi didn't realize that it had gone so far as hero-worshipping. The information was both touching and quite valuable in the form of leverage. "Is that so?"

She smiled; it was a touch more nostalgic than he expected it to be, though. "Yeah. Though, by the time we were in high school, it had all pretty much turned into some sort of rivalry that he never actually explained."

Itachi already knew why the rivalry started, of course, but that wasn't the important part. The important thing was that his initial chances of getting her to agree to go out with him had all but skyrocketed, and that was the original reason he had approached her. Deciding that there was no point in inadvertently beating around the bush any longer, he settled an intense look on her. "It is refreshing to meet someone who is already close to the Uchiha family without having any professional ties to it."

The young woman eyed him curiously. But they had just reached the cash register so she was forced to turn her attention to the middle-aged woman behind the counter. The rosette forked over the tube of lipstick, and tugged out a few dollars before turning her green gaze back to him. "And it's pretty nice to know that not all of the Uchiha deal in only business." She handed over the proper amount once it was asked for and smiled at the clerk when the lipstick was given back to her.

He had to chuckle at her remark, curious to investigate further as to how this one put up with his grouchy little brother for such a long time without ever losing touch. "Perhaps, you would be willing to see me again?"

Clearly caught by surprise again, she blinked twice before finally settling on a smile. "I'd like that. My name is Haruno Sakura by the way." She had taken a few steps away from the counter as she answered, moving out of the way of other costumers.

He nodded, thinking absently of how it suited her apparel quite well. But he didn't say anything as he watched her stop walking again so she could start riffling through her purse, presumably for a writing utensil. Sakura proceeded to scowl as she came up empty handed, and glanced up at him with words ready to be spoken. But then she brightened, possibly because she'd thought of a solution. She motioned for him to give his arm, and under normal circumstances he might have protested; however he had an inkling that she was about to write on his arm with the lipstick she'd just bought.

True to his assumption, she tugged the clear cap off and wrote down the number sequence that was her phone number. She smiled up at him once she'd finished examining her work. "I hope you don't mind."

Repressing the urge to roll his eyes, Itachi answered jokingly, "That would have been better said _before_ you wrote on my arm." He paused for a moment and then smirked. "But no, I don't mind."


	81. 158 Dazzle: Eyes

**Title:** Moments in Time: A Close Up

**Author:** AppleL0V3R

**Beta-reader: **SymphoniaFreak

**Fandom:** Naruto

**Pairing:** Uchiha Itachi and Haruno Sakura

**Chapter:** Eighty-One – #158 Dazzle: Eyes.

**Rating:** T

**Type:** One-shot – Complete

**Summary:** Prompts from Moments in Time that I was requested to expand on. 81. 158 – Dazzle: Eyes. It was one of the few ways for her to remember him by. Something real.

**Word Count:** 1,325

**Disclaimer:** If you've heard of it before, then it's obviously not mine.

**Note:** As the summary states, these are skits I was asked to turn into actual works. I will always put which one it was and the skit just before the chapter. They won't be in numerical order because I'm doing them as I'm requested. They won't be any more than one-shots though they may become two to five –shots (I will forewarn when that happens) but they won't become stories unless I choose to.

**Request by:** theonesakura

**Edited on:** April 15, 2012

* * *

158. Dazzle (Sakura)

She smiled at her reflection as she twisted and turned, showing off the sparkly new dress she had just bought. It was a sable black because of all the bluish, silver sparkles on it, and personally she loved it. Because it was the color of Itachi's eyes and she loved Itachi's eyes. She could lose herself in them if given the chance.

She glanced at the picture on the mantle of her and a group of friends. Itachi was in the background; he'd been caught unintentionally. But that didn't matter; seeing him – even in a photo – made her smile.

And wonder when her beautiful husband was coming home from his business trip.

Because she missed his voice. Because she missed his eyes.

Because she missed him.

* * *

When Itachi was away, Sakura felt the distance acutely. It felt like a continuous stab to her heart, and she knew it wouldn't stop until he finally came back to her. It never got any easier; she never got used to the feeling of her other half being simply gone. Between the hours that stretched on, the days that seemed to take their time because she knew he would be home soon, it was hard to keep herself busy. Busy enough not to think about him every other second, or to see his beautiful complexion when she closed her eyes.

Certainly, there were times when she got to talk to him over the phone; they always spoke at least once a day because both had trouble getting though an entire day without hearing the other's voice. But it wasn't the same as being able to see him, touch him, feel him. She knew instinctively that Itachi felt the exact same loss when they were separate for extended periods of time, the feeling that something was simply missing in her daily life. But it would leave without her ever knowing it was gone until it returned the moment he was in a taxi or plane or boat and heading away from her. It was like ripped seams on her favorite dress that magically sewed themselves together when he was home and came apart when he was away.

What got her through the days without her husband were three simple, but oh-so-essential, things.

The first was her friends and family. Between early morning visits from her sister, coffee breaks with her brother-in-law, late night visits courtesy of her brother, and dinners with any combination of the three people or any other people, she got through the day in increments, counting people like most counted hours. It didn't mean she didn't have fun, or she didn't enjoy spending time with her precious people; it was simply that she couldn't wait for the other half of her heart to get home, and they were the routine that passed the time and reminded her that Itachi was just one person closer to being in her arms.

The second was her work. When she wasn't sleeping or snatching moments with the people in her life, she was working at the hospital. She'd originally started out as a surgeon, but now she was the dean of the hospital. It was a lot of paperwork and fewer surgeries, but she still got to do clinic time and work in the fields she wanted to, provided she had the time and resources. Along with her closest friends and surrogate siblings, Sakura had managed to reach her dream job and then some. And when Itachi was gone, it was an easy way to pass the long hours, losing herself to whichever paper or person before her.

And lastly was dressing up in her favorite dress. Playing dress up was a hobby she'd had as a child that hadn't quite died out. With the number of formal events that both her and Itachi's jobs dragged her into, she got to keep dressing as elegantly as she wanted. She tended to avoid such formal events like the plague as it was, but without Itachi beside her to suffer through them, she was always absent even when it got her in trouble.

Instead, if she wasn't spending those few hours doing something productive or social related, then she was dressing up. Each time it was the same dress, and every time she remembered it as if it was the first time she'd done it. The rosette had smiled at her reflection as she'd twisted and turned, showing off the sparkly new dress she had just bought. It was a sable black because of all the bluish, silver sparkles on it, and personally she loved it. Because it was the color of Itachi's eyes, and she loved Itachi's eyes. She could lose herself in them if given the chance.

And right then she would think about how he certainly did give her the chance, one that she would continually take advantage of.

So just like each time since she'd started this new spin on her old hobby, she admired the dress a little bit longer then turned to head for the bathroom, whether to add make up and accessories or to take off the dress she had yet to decide. On her way, light reflecting off a glass surface momentarily caught her eye. She glanced at the picture on the mantle of her and a group of friends. Itachi was in the background; he'd been caught unintentionally. But that didn't matter; seeing him – even in a photo – made her smile.

And wonder when her beautiful husband was coming home from his business trip.

Because she missed his voice. Because she missed his eyes.

Because she missed him.

Before she could indulge in the familiar feeling of physical distance between her and the love of her life, the phone rang. Jerking in surprise, she hurried over to the bed, where she remembered throwing her cell phone upon coming home from a long day of work, and grinned widely when she saw who the caller was.

Without hesitating for even a moment, she answered it and turned on the speaker option. "_Anata_."

There was a pause and then her spouse's voice came through, just as soft and full of conviction as hers had. "_Koibito_."

And just like that, the acute loss of not having him beside her lessened dramatically in the wake of hearing his voice. And oh boy did she love his voice. Almost as much as she loved his eyes. Which reminded her of the fact that she was still dressed in the fancy gown that Itachi had yet to see her in.

With a mischievous smile stretching over her features, she grabbed the phone and headed for her vanity, intending to go the whole nine yards and then send her lover a picture. There were still three days until he came home, and she wondered belatedly what he would do to her for teasing him so cruelly.

Only one way to find out, she supposed.


	82. 159 April: Four

**Title:** Moments in Time: A Close Up

**Author:** AppleL0V3R

**Beta-reader:** SymphoniaFreak

**Fandom:** Naruto

**Pairing:** Uchiha Itachi and Haruno Sakura

**Chapter:** Eighty-Two – #159 April: Four.

**Rating:** T

**Type:** One-shot – Complete

**Summary:** Prompts from Moments in Time that I was requested to expand on. 82. 159 – April: Four. Not for the first time, Itachi knows that the only thing getting him through the day is her.

**Word Count:** 3,465

**Disclaimer:** If you've heard of it before, then it's obviously not mine.

**Note:** As the summary states, these are skits I was asked to turn into actual works. I will always put which one it was and the skit just before the chapter. They won't be in numerical order because I'm doing them as I'm requested. They won't be any more than one-shots though they may become two to five –shots (I will forewarn when that happens) but they won't become stories unless I choose to.

The thing with the sun positioning was used for the northern hemisphere and is a rough estimate at best, so if any astrologists find a discrepancy with it, I'm sorry. Just correct wherever the sun should be at 3:00 PM in your head, or PM me if you wish, I'm always open to corrections.

**Request by:** Anime Freak456, Fuai and theonesakura

**Edited on:** July 3, 2012

* * *

159. April (Itachi)

The fourth month.

Itachi is thirteen now. Sasuke is eight and thinks he's king of the world. But Itachi has recently achieved ANBU captain and has even less time to set the boy straight. His father seems appeased for now, though Itachi knows that he start up again when the teenager is old enough to marry.

And Sakura?

The most understanding and innocent thing the – his – world.

He'd kissed her forehead to show her he liked it, and therefore there was nothing wrong with it. And she in turn had kissed his cheeks to make the stress lines go away. She'd been disappointed when it didn't work. So he'd told her to close her eyes and used a _jutsu_ to make it so.

She'd grinned the rest of the time he was in her company.

* * *

"_Aniki_." The young child was sulking, Itachi knew his little brother well enough to know that the boy felt let down by his precious elder brother once more. Just three years ago, the academy student had blindly worshipped his brother and father; now that admiration was tainted by disappointment and time spent apart. The tone and the face were almost enough to make him crack, but he had an assignment to take care of and ANBU headquarters to stop by so he couldn't take him with. This was a routine Itachi had gotten used to over the last three years, and the only upside seemed to be that Sasuke was being given a chance to grow into his own, as soon as he got over his crutches, like hero-worshipping and pride. Both traits that the older brother wished he had the time to set him straight before the clan dug its claws in too deep.

Taking a deep, silent breath, the Uchiha heir told himself that he would set things right as soon as he could. But first he had to calm his own unstable life; between the clan, Konoha and ANBU, it seemed so easy to lose sight of himself and why he was living the way he did. This meant he should probably add one more stop to his list and warn his mother that he might be home late. Tomorrow he didn't have any plans, and with any luck he could monopolize his little brother for at least a few hours. If only to make sure the steadily growing bond between them didn't crack unnecessarily. After all, his little brother was too precious to him to even chance losing the boy.

Remembering that he hadn't yet left the house and the object of his thoughts was still awaiting some sort of answer, he motioned the boy forward with his hand. Suspicious, dark eyes glanced from his brother's hand to his face and back again, but eventually trust won out and he ambled forward. Once little Sasuke was close enough, Itachi flicked his hand out to poke the boy on his forhead, and immediately the younger one flinched back and reached up to rub the spot. This was the only way Itachi knew how to assure the boy that he would spend time with him, that they weren't growing apart. And as per routine, he allowed marginally warm and very intense almost-black eyes to rest on the eight-year-old. "I'm sorry, _otouto_."

His gaze lingered on the pouting child for a moment longer, and he reminded himself again that tomorrow he would make this up to Sasuke before he turned on his sandaled-feet and left the house. The assignment was nondescript and fairly simple; it only took about an hour to complete, and the stop by the ANBU headquarters didn't take any longer than simply turning in the completed mission and signing his team up for a new one that would begin the day after. Objectively, he should have taken the one for tomorrow as it would be only a handful of days and was not too far from Konoha's borders, as opposed to the one he did pick up which would be a minimum of two weeks and was all the way in northern Kiri. But he'd already promised himself not more than a couple hours previously that tomorrow would be dedicated to his brother. And if he were to be perfectly honest, he knew that his team didn't truly care which mission they got just so long as they did get an assignment.

Stepping back on to the main street, Itachi paused to glance at the sun that was at least forty-five degrees past high noon. Three o'clock. That would give him at least a few hours with Sakura before his parents would be expecting him home for dinner. Decision made, he turned in the opposite direction from his home and continued quickly towards his destination. The little pink-haired pixie should be home from the academy by now and he was certain that her parents would mind his unexpected visit as they hadn't in the eight or so years he'd known them.

Although his gait wasn't disrupted in the slightest, that thought gave him pause. Eight years was nearly a decade. Though she was still a small girl now, he knew that if they were teenagers or adults such an amount of time spent so closely together would be a more than valid reason to explain his iron-gripped attachment to this specific girl. For civilians, eight years of continuously growing companionship was no small thing; for shinobi, that was a bond to cherish and protect because of the rarity of such a relationship. He'd long since decided that he would not shy from the fact that he was honestly dependent on the small girl and everything she provided him with unintentionally or otherwise, and seeing it in this light only seemed to validate his decision. The realization also served to spur him into vowing to never loosen his hold on the girl unless she herself truly wanted space from him.

He was never going to let her go, not if he could help it.

Itachi didn't bother to knock on the front door; he knew by instinct alone that Sakura was home and so he simply pulled out the key to the house and entered. Rather than whisper as he was accustomed to upon entrance to his own home, he simply stated, "_Tadaima_." It wasn't that being here made him any more vocal than his household; it was simply that he knew that Kano and Koko would give him an expectant look and tell him to speak plainly. Besides, this was a much more efficient way of bringing the green-eyed girl to him, rather than him having to search her out no matter how easily he could do so. The youngest Haruno was the only person, besides his little brother, he knew the exact location of anytime he bothered to look for her.

Both parents happened to be in the kitchen when he entered, and so he got a cheerful "_Okaerinasai._" from Koko and simple, acknowledge response from Kano. He nodded to both in turn and debated asking them where their daughter was for a moment before deciding not to. She hadn't shown herself right off the bat like she was wont to, which meant she had a reason for not answering. Knowing he hadn't intentionally done anything recently to upset her, this left him with two options: she didn't hear him or she was playing a game.

Dark eyes glanced at both Haruno parents curiously but all he got was a knowing smile and an exasperated shrug. Both told him that it was the latter; the little girl was playing with him. With that settled he decided there was no harm in playing with her so he nodded to the adults and continued on to the hallway. It didn't take much effort to over-exaggerate looking for her, especially since he already knew exactly where she was. At the end of the hall, hiding behind a closet door. She was very quiet for a civilian child and perhaps that was his influence on her after all these years, but she wasn't quiet enough that he couldn't hear her when he listened.

Turning on his heel, he started to walk in the opposite direction. Itachi didn't call for the young girl, and he was almost surprised when she didn't move from her place. Certainly she shifted around, but ultimately chose to stay still and smother a giggle. He smiled at the delicate sound, stopping and looking back over his shoulder. The door moved slightly, in a way that meant she had shrunk behind it so as not to be seen. Still smiling, he started moving in the direction of the living room which would indirectly lead him to the backyard. He had played enough games with Sakura to know that she would reveal herself if she thought he exited the house because he hadn't noticed her.

Moments later, he was proven correct when a little body crashed into him just as he opened the door. "Tahi!" Ever since she had first mispronounced his name, she had taken to continuing to call him Tahi, despite his best efforts to teach her his actual name. Unless they were in a public setting, she refused to call him by Itachi. Not that he particularly minded, every time he heard the nickname his heart warmed and all of his turmoil and hardships seemed to subside just for the little angel. His little angel.

Turning in the circle of her arms, he knelt so they were at eye-level. Green eyes stared into his for only a moment before she grinned, clearly aware that he had dragged her out of her hiding place so that they could spend the next stretch of time outside. "Let's go play, Tahi!" With a soft smile, he pried her arms from his waist and proceeded to hold his arm out, encouraging her to exit the house before him.

Sakura giggled. "Tahi's a gentleman." Spending time with him had more influences than just a natural tendency to be quiet, though he knew that she was genuinely a perceptive and intelligent child with an inclination to learn as much as she could about anything she was taught. In that way she was very similar to Sasuke, but unlike the boy she didn't cover up her curiosity with aloofness or conceit. Itachi was reminded that his little brother had never met this slip of a girl, and that he was certain that the two were just different enough that such a meeting wouldn't go smoothly even with guidance.

Pushing those thoughts aside, he gave her a stern look. "Gentlemen are usually good men to know."

The younger one rolled her eyes. "Because it means they have manners and can be reasonable."

He laughed softly. Between her parents and himself, Sakura had heard lectures like this so many times he wasn't surprised that she could regurgitate them. But he wasn't about to ease up on them for the simple fact that he didn't want her to forget; he didn't want to chance anyone with ill-intentions infecting or hurting her. Some days, he wondered if he was one of those people who weren't good for her even if he only had the best of intentions for the little girl. But then he would see her bright eyes and big smile, and he would remember that because of her he hadn't allowed Danzo to persuade him into joining Root. Because of Sakura he had staunchly sided with his Hokage when he had learned of the coup d'état his clan was planning. But those were also thoughts for another time, when he wasn't in her presence, when he didn't have hours without needing to bother.

Following at a sedate pace behind the jogging eight-year-old, he didn't resist when she grabbed his hand to pull him along faster. She was careful to skirt her mother's garden as she led him to the middle of the grassy portion, then stopped on a dime and twirled around without letting go of his hand. He waited patiently as she pursed her lips and looked about for something to do.

When she glanced at the small pond in the corner of the yard she paused, and bit her lip. Concern flashed through him because she only bit her lip when something was troubling her. So he crouched and reached out with his free hand to grab her cheek. Itachi nudge gently until she acquiesced, looking up at him with big, uncertain green eyes. "Itachi…" He repressed the urge to frown, realizing that whatever was suddenly troubling her was quite a serious problem. "Do you think my forehead is too…big?"

In a split second he went from surprised, to dumbfounded, to relieved, to confused, and finally settled on resolved. Leaning over, he kissed her forehead and pulled back only when she started to fidget. Dark eyes watched her intently, waiting for her to come to the conclusion that he had implied. When she did, she blinked and smiled.

"Who told you that your forehead is too big?" No matter how small he normally would have thought the matter, Itachi knew that this particular subject was touchy with her. As an ANBU captain, there was almost nothing that could be said to make him self-conscious, provided that the person speaking was anyone other than Sakura as that was another leverage the girl held over him without her notice.

"Some kids at school." Her voice was meek, though not because she was shy but because Itachi's reaction had inadvertently chided her for believing what jeering children had told her. "Ino said it wasn't true, and she seemed like she was telling the truth. But Tahi's never lied to me." His eyes softened as he felt his heart warm at the conviction and pure trust that she had for him. He would never do anything to abuse that trust, not if he could help it.

"And I never will." As a shinobi, especially an ANBU captain, that would be a hard promise to keep, but Itachi had managed it so far. And he knew the little girl was wise enough to remember this promise, even if it frustrated her when he couldn't tell her the truth of some matter later on. He would always have secrets, information that he simply couldn't tell her, but it didn't mean he had to lie to her.

The four simple words caused her to light up like a light bulb as she grinned happily at him. "I promise I won't lie to Tahi, either." She held out her small, delicate hand, all fingers but her pinky curled and waited for him to respond in kind. She didn't have to wait long; a moment later he hooked his pinky with hers, feeling like a child for it but not in the least ashamed of the feeling. Something about Sakura inspired more than just calm and peacefulness in him, she also had a knack for bringing out the thirteen-year-old in him.

With a big smile still lighting her face, she tugged on the appendage in her grasp until he was leaning down to her height. Blue-black eyes were curious but patient as she pushed herself up on her tiptoes and kissed his cheeks. Startled, he blinked at her. "Sakura?"

"Tahi has lines on his cheeks," she paused and peered at said body part, frowning cutely when the desired effect didn't happen. Itachi was more than capable of guessing that she had been trying to kiss the stress marks away in much the same way as he had kissed her worries away. "But they're not gone." Green eyes dart to his questioningly. "Why aren't they gone?"

With a soft chuckle he told her to close her eyes, and when she did, he performed a _henge _solely to smooth those lines out. "Open your eyes."

Large eyes appeared almost cautiously at first, but then widened when she saw that the lines were indeed gone. It, like the pink promise, incited a giggle out of the girl-child along with a smile that seemed to split her countenance in two. The matter of stress appearing meant little to him, but watching her react so happily to seeing the lines gone was more than worth the unnecessary use of chakra. Part of him wondered if this counted as a lie, but by the grateful look on her face, he knew that she was well aware that he'd used a _jutsu _to make it look like she had kissed away the stress. Sakura was perceptive, and he knew that would play a key role in keeping her safe as she grew older.

She also wasn't shy about reaching out to draw her hands across the altered skin with feather lightness, clearly awed by how real the change seemed to be. "Will you teach me how?"

He froze for a moment, not wanting his sharp mind to fill in just what that question implied. But the Uchiha heir knew that this innocent little girl had been debating entering the Shinobi Academy this month, and each time he spent time with her, she was even more certain that was what she wanted. It was a choice he sorely wished to dissuade her from, however he knew that she wouldn't appreciate his input. Even if she did listen and become a civilian like the rest of her family, she would always remember that he had told her not to. And she would always wonder past any reason he gave her as to why he said she shouldn't. Not even that particular matter was important enough for him to let any sort of distance come between them.

But most of all, what kept him from telling her that she shouldn't become a shinobi was for the simple fact that she admired him. The young Haruno wanted to be as strong and wise as she always said he was. No amount of telling her that it would be beyond difficult for her had changed her mind. She had persisted in her decision, even with his constant cautioning and the warning that being a ninja by nature would cause damage to her perspective and sanity. Being a shinobi was nearly the same as giving up a piece - the innocent, feeling part - of her humanity. Since she still persisted, all he could do was hope that she didn't lose the important parts of her that made her who she was. All he could do was protect her.

Slowly, he nodded. "When you are ready."

That seemed to placate the small girl as she pulled her hands back. Before she could fully step away from him, he caught her arms and pulled her into him, nearly crushing her in a tight hug. Surprise stiffed her body for a fraction of a second before she laughed and wrapped her little arms around his torso and squeezed. When he finally relinquished his hold on her, she sent him a warm smile that seemed far too mature for her young age. It didn't catch him off guard in the least to see such a look on her face, every once in a while she was capable of seeming wise beyond her years. But a split second later it was gone, and she was acting her age once more as she came up with a simplistically elaborate game for them to play until dinner.


	83. 160 Writer's Choice: Fated

**Title:** Moments in Time: A Close Up

**Author:** AppleL0V3R

**Beta-reader:** SymphoniaFreak

**Fandom:** Naruto

**Pairing:** Uchiha Itachi and Haruno Sakura

**Chapter:** Eighty-Three – #160 Writer's Choice: Fated.

**Rating:** T

**Type:** One-shot – Complete

**Summary:** Prompts from Moments in Time that I was requested to expand on. 83. 160 – Writer's Choice: Fated. As far as he was concerned, she was his, no matter what she said.

**Word Count:** 7,215

**Disclaimer:** If you've heard of it before, then it's obviously not mine.

**Note:** As the summary states, these are skits I was asked to turn into actual works. I will always put which one it was and the skit just before the chapter. They won't be in numerical order because I'm doing them as I'm requested. They won't be any more than one-shots though they may become two to five –shots (I will forewarn when that happens) but they won't become stories unless I choose to.

Is it just me, or does it seem like every time I expand on a supernatural/paranormal drabble it has the potential to be at least a mini-story? Unfortunately my plate is way too full right now to even consider that. But as soon as space clears up, I'm definitely going to explore expanding this one at the very least.

So I'm aware that I've been gone for a very long time (twenty chapters in eleven months…crap, I've been slacking). I can't promise I'll get better, but I sure as hell will try. And since school is over (and I still don't have a job) that shouldn't be too hard especially now that I can put more than just an hour or two a day into my stories. So as long as my muse works with me, I think I'll be back to regular updating (if not, then weekly updates bare-minimum)

Anyone remember chapter…fifty-five? It's the one with the largest word count before this one. Well I said back then not to expect that out of me very often, but now I'm going to change that. It still shouldn't be expected, but just know that there is a good chance that the chapters will be longer than 2000/3000 words from now on.

**Request by:** Anime Freak456 and theonesakura

**Edit On: **July 26, 2012

* * *

160. Writer's Choice (Itachi)

Her exquisite green eyes were wide as she backed up a few steps. Smart. Futile, but smart. "Whoa, whoa." Something inside him rose to her voice; he liked it, loved it. Wanted to hear his name on those lips.

He took a step forward.

"Umm, back up please?" There was an edge of hysteria to her voice. "Seriously? And what do you mean _Awaken _and _Fated_? I am my own person, I'll have you know." Bold. Very bold, but foolish too. His wrath was not something any of even his own kind would willingly, or otherwise, incite.

He realized it would be fun teaching this small human of the creatures of Lore, especially of his own kind. He smirked, a telling curl of his lips.

* * *

The first time he met her, it was a hit and run.

Not the literal kind, fortunately for her, because if it had, her fate would have been sealed much earlier than he was prepared for. As it was, even as a creature of Lore he'd never truly believed there was only one female out there for him. It seemed an old myth, even for his kind, since none in his family had ever found one of their own in the centuries that they had lived. Though his own family had taken to the human custom of marriage for benefits rather than his kind's age-old mating for life.

He had caught a scent that stopped him in his tracks; it was a combination of strawberries and daffodils. And with it was an instant and insistent tug in her direction, one that he found nearly impossible to ignore, even for his own iron control. Thankfully, the busy crowd and continuous stream of cars both ways reminded him that he shouldn't do anything right then, other than pinpoint the source of the strange feelings that were attempting to overwhelm him. She was small, thin and probably didn't even reach his shoulders. She also had pastel pink hair that made her look like a nymph or pixie, definitely of Fey descent. The probability was even more likely because of her emerald green eyes and pale yet peachy skin hue. Whoever she was, her number just went up as far as he was concerned.

And unfortunately for her, he had the status in both human and Lore culture to figure out exactly who she was. He made a mental note to learn everything about her that he could, not to sate this powerful urge to find and take her but so that when he was ready, he could do so on a whim. He was the kind of person who simply didn't like others having leverage over him, even if they had never met him, even if they didn't know they had power over him. In his experience, it made life a whole lot less frustrating that way and perhaps a little bit less dangerous, too.

Less than a week later, he had two separate files of the same woman on his desk. Haruno Sakura. She had natural pink hair, though throughout her teens and college years she had dyed it a number of red shades that never stuck for more than three weeks. She was currently twenty-four year's old and working as the youngest cardiologist in the city. While both facts said a lot about this particular person, what caught his attention was that even the Fey file said she was truly twenty-four in human years. She was still young, very young. He wondered if she even knew of her heritage. There was a very good possibility she didn't, especially considering both files clearly stated she had been raised by her mother, her very human mother. A half-Fey had caught his eye; one who most likely didn't know about the Lore, one who wouldn't be considered as more than a child even by the supernatural races with the shortest lifespans.

All three were very good reasons to leave the woman alone for at least the rest of the century.

But the inhuman side of him refused to accept the blatant logic before him. Her number had gone up the moment he felt the tug of her pull on him; facts like these didn't make a difference to his primal instincts. He would simply have to approach this properly. His dark eyes lingered on her photo, watching it smile back at him. It looked real, and the rest of her file showed every indication of a happy, driven individual. He could definitely use that to his advantage. Leaning back in his chair, he turned his gaze out the large windows of his office. Now that he knew who had his attention, he would start planning on how to get hers. And keep it.

* * *

The second time he met her, it was purely accidental and very much intended.

He hadn't meant to be within such a small radius of her, but his second-in-command had managed to get the rest of his people to demand he go to the hospital because he was injured. He knew that the injury was inconsequential, but it wouldn't do any of them any good if he put his foot down and said no. From there the whole situation had spiraled. He had assumed that if he walked in, the nurse there would have him take a number since the wound wasn't visible, and either his task force dropped it or the nurses dealt with the preliminaries. In the end, he would lose a few hours of work time no matter what, but this way was always less fuss.

Except for this time.

This time, the nurses had made a fuss about an injury he'd forgotten hadn't healed and they were certain that the injury could have affected his heart. This meant he went from acquiescing to his subordinates' unnecessary demands to undergoing an emergency surgery. As fate would have it, Haruno Sakura had been in the hospital at the time and had been chosen to run the surgery all the way through. Human anesthetics didn't work as effectively on the creatures of Lore as they did on humans, but as fuzzy as they made his senses, the tug of her was still as strong as ever. And he didn't have the presence of mind to approach this situation with logic and caution.

It would be hard, but if he intended to not meet resistance, then he was going to have to get out of this place. He closed his eyes in irritation at the thought of the ruckus he would have to endure for sneaking away during surgery prep, but there was no other option. Not even if he kept his cool and isolated her would things run as smoothly as he wanted them to. And for someone who didn't know about the Lore, let alone being Fated, being anything less than calm and cautious would not do. But even as he tried to get up, the drugs in his system caused his limbs to go limp before he could even make it off the cot. Forcing himself to stay still, he contemplated the best way out of this mess. The only way out of this room was through the door because he knew he couldn't fit through the window on the far left side of the room. Assuming he did get out the door, the nearest exit was down the corridor to the right. And while the exit was a side door, the corridor was full of rooms with patients and doctors and nurses. The left would lead to the entrance of the hospital, and that was clearly out of the question.

He frowned, debating which way was more likely to get him out unnoticed. The hospital didn't tend to simply let someone of his caliber just up and walk out without being treated, especially not after raising a fuss to keep him confined until said treatment could be administered. Itachi tried for a third time to get up, this time making it to his feet, but just as he was about to take a step, the door opened.

It seemed Fate was determined that he meet the little doctor today.

The pink-haired half-Fey walked in, her attention focused completely on the clipboard she was busily scribbling on. So absorbed was she that she didn't even glance up when she came to a stop less than three feet from where he stood and simply kept writing. He didn't know whether to be amused or disgruntled by the fact that she didn't notice him because her instincts should have alerted her that he was in her vicinity before she opened the door. She was untrained, he reminded himself; her lack of awareness could be rectified easily enough. The first step, though, would be to make sure she _always _knew when he was near.

"As impressive as that intent gaze of yours is, Superintendent General Uchiha, this will go much more efficiently if you lie back down and let me do my job." While there was no outward effect of her words, he found himself internally surprised. So she had noticed him after all; she'd simply decided that there was no cause for alarm. In fact, by her no-nonsense yet slightly exasperated tone, he would hazard a guess that she assumed he was just being difficult and therefore needed firm orders to do as he was told. Like an unknowingly misbehaving child. The very idea made him bristle.

Everything in her file had pointed towards a gentle and polite disposition. But clearly she was neither of those things in reality. And while her disposition didn't truly matter or change the fact that Fate had deemed her his, he couldn't help but marvel at just how much fun this could be. She was still unaware of her heritage though, and for that he would still mind his manners. But once he told her, she would have no excuse. Then, the fun would begin.

Slowly, almost predatorily, he backed up until he was settled comfortably on the bed just as she had asked. Once he was done moving, the sound of pen against paper stopped and she glanced up to give him a grateful smile. There was no trace of triumph or smugness in it, just simple pleased gratitude for him having complied with her request. So she was easy to please, and she didn't hold anything over others for even the smallest of matters. Good, then living with her would be not only pleasant, but it would easy enough. It seemed Fate had chosen to be kind to him in such an important matter.

Dark eyes continued to watch her as she bustled about, clearly neither intimidated nor flustered. Her manner was exactly what the hospital preached; efficient, professional, polite, but not plastic. When she finally seemed to have everything in order, she spun on her heel, shoved her fists into her hips and raised an eyebrow at him. He stared back at her, feeling amusement filling him as they continued this small staring contest. Then suddenly the door was opening, and whatever moment they'd just had was over.

For a first meeting, he'd say it went even better than he had even intended it to.

* * *

The third time he met her was completely intentional and not at all what he had expected.

After the surgery went well, Sakura had stopped by to give him a final report and a clean bill of health, smiling happily as she told him that he was free to discharge himself when he was ready. At the time, with all the heavy medication, his senses had been impaired, and all he could do was nod and thank her for her part in his recovery. Learned politeness had kicked in faster than innate instincts, and before he could correct himself, she was bowing her head and leaving because his words had left no room for a continued conversation. Dark eyes had closed in a silent curse before letting himself feel the tired and wariness that he had refused to feel since being admitted to the hospital.

Another week had passed before he could find time out of his demanding schedule without giving himself away to go looking for her. He'd known from the beginning that she was the only one who could share his life, but meeting her had simply proven it almost tenfold. Itachi would make Sakura his if it was the last thing he did. But first he had to find her and get her alone.

A task that was proving to be much harder than he had anticipated.

It seemed that Sakura's day-to-day schedule didn't tend to repeat itself, not through any intentional means though. As a well-known and well respected doctor, Sakura tended to work either a lot of hours or a few hours. The day he had been admitted for emergency surgery, she had been working a six a.m. to ten p.m. shift and had worked the same amount of hours for the following three days before having a day off and then working an eleven p.m. to five a.m. shift. However, instead of sleeping in her off hours, the young woman seemed to have a social life as demanding and hectic as her profession.

Fey families generally had a lot of children per household, and the Haruno family was no different, despite its human half. According to both of the files Itachi had on his intended, she was actively involved in the lives of all of her immediate and even, to a point, her extended family members. On top of her family, she had a whole slew of friends and acquaintances from work, school and other sources. She spent most of her free time with a specific set of friends, one that it seemed his own younger brother was included in, but she didn't seem disinclined to spending her time with any of her other friends either. And yet, she somehow still found the time to attend lectures at local institutions even when she clearly had no relation to any of the people attending or giving the lecture.

Itachi had glimpsed all of these facts when he first looked over her files, but when he started looking for her, he had combed through them more carefully. And the more he searched, the more concerned he grew. How much of her time was devoted to just her? How many hours a day did she set aside so that she could get a good night's rest?

If she had so little time to even sleep, let alone have to herself, then how much time would he be able to find to spend with her? He knew his own schedule was usually quite full, but even before he realized he'd found his Fated mate, he had assumed that he would be able to create a sufficient enough gap in his time to dedicate to said mate. He had never thought to plan for a case in which his intended would also have a continuously full schedule, and it provide to be mildly frustrating and disconcerting when it took more than three tries to even find a time in which he might be able to catch Sakura in semi-ideal circumstances.

But he had found a point in time when he knew that their paths would cross. The hospital that she worked for was going to be throwing a fundraiser event for their pediatric ward and had subsequently asked the police department to help sponsor it. Since Itachi was an important, high ranking individual, it was only logical that he attend. And he knew the pink-haired doctor would be there too because she was renowned; her appearance would be good visual support for the hospital's event. In fact, he was pretty sure Sakura had a hand in putting together the fundraiser, and by what he knew of her, it was tantamount to saying she would be participating as well.

All he had to do was casually seek her out and pull her aside without anyone noticing. Just long enough for him to inform her that she was his mate and that he had every intention in making sure they would become permanent fixtures in each other's lives. The powerful Uchiha doubted that would be too hard of a task, considering he was nothing if not resourceful and persuasive.

The event itself had been almost an entire week after he had been discharged from the hospital, leaving his subordinates no room to protest when he attended the two-day fundraiser. A casually made question about the hospital staff presence to a young receptionist, too infatuated with his appearance and rank for her to hold her tongue as much as she should have, told him that Sakura would be in attendance as much as possible and definitely for all announcements and important parts.

His cousin and the only person he'd confided his true reason for attending this event, when he normally wouldn't have unless he absolutely had to, had idly remarked that the pink-haired young woman should already be in the vicinity since the kick-off was one of more important parts of the fundraiser. A mischievous twinkle had entered dark eyes then as he proceeded to comment that Itachi should be mindful how he went about separating and binding his half-Fey mate to him, since Fey by nature could be very temperamental and stubborn, depending on the origins of their heritage. And Sakura most definitely descended from an earth-origin race of Fey.

However, Itachi was hardly deterred. After all, he was from a particular race of Demon that most supernatural races simply didn't mess with, and he himself was iconic for the nature of his own kind in a way that even his own family treaded carefully around him.

Even if all of that weren't the case, Sasuke had already confirmed that Sakura was a close friend of his, and therefore she would be that much more receptive to his Demon background and subsequent primal tendencies because of familiarity. Whether she liked it or not, the young half-human would accept that Fate had chosen them to be together for the simple reason, and that she should know it would be a futile effort to needlessly fight him on the matter.

The event started right on schedule, and it didn't surprise him to see so many people already in attendance. When it meant helping the youth of tomorrow, most races tended to rise to the occasion, and humans were certainly no exception. Dark eyes scanned the crowd, seeing multiple people in white lab coats but none of them with pink hair. He could feel the tug of her, so she was certainly nearby, just not within his line of sight. Using only the tug to start making his way through the crowd, he moved inconspicuously and cautiously, keeping his eyes peeled for any sign of her. After a few moments of extensive, but subtle, searching, he found her quickly making her way through the crowd towards a section that the hospital workers were still putting the final touches on. Shifting the aura he exuded just slightly, he made a beeline for the young woman, and the crowd parted easily enough. He could hear Shisui snicker at the way he manipulated the crowd to get what he wanted, but the further he got, the more the man strayed to other parts of the crowd. No doubt looking for his own little female since she was supposed to be here.

Itachi hardly paid the crowd or of the rest of his surroundings any mind, so intent was he on catching her before she disappeared again. Despite the fact that his long strides were unhindered by the people around him, she was still a ways ahead of him, easily weaving and mingling in a graceful manner. The grace was completely Fey, but the mingling and the way the crowd closed around her but still ushered her on was all due her personality. Drawn by the thought, he quickened his pace to make sure he would catch her in the right place. Slowly but surely, he caught up to her; and at the edge of the crowd he reached out and grabbed her shoulder.

She didn't startle, but she did look surprised when she turned around to see him. After she got over the initial shock of him stopping her, she smiled prettily. "Mister Uchiha, may I help you with something?"

Repressing the urge to kiss her and tell her she was his, he nodded simply while concealing any and all thoughts from showing outwardly. "Is there somewhere more private that we can speak?"

Green eyes blinked, but she seemed to truly think his question over even as she cast him a curious and suspicious look. She seemed to size him up for a moment, clearly debating how she wanted to respond. Whatever doubts lingered in her mind must not have been big for she let them be overridden as she nodded and gestured in the direction of one of the nearby buildings. "Yeah, follow me." She paused and threw another curious look his way. "May I ask why the secrecy is necessary?"

"Not secrecy. Just privacy." He answered simply, careful to keep his distance from her. The pull got stronger the nearer he was, becoming an almost tangible thing, and it was hard to ignore for too long. Especially with her literally within arm's reach. Sasuke had explained how ignoring the call of his mate had nearly driven him mad, and when he finally acknowledged it, he'd had hell to pay for the mess it caused. But now the younger demon was quite happy so long as his raven-haired mate was within the vicinity of him. Now Itachi could sympathize. Having her near had a soothing effect on all of his senses, but the primal instincts clamored for her to recognize him in the same manner.

She smiled, amused with his response. "If you say so."

He didn't both to retort to her quip, content to simply follow her until she led them to an empty building. He also didn't bother to stop the door from closing because it meant more privacy and less chance of some voyeur interrupting them. Green eyes looked back at him, eyeing the closed door warily before sliding back to him with a more guarded expression than just moments before. He could see the gears in her mind turning, putting together the fact that the door was the only way out in the immediate vicinity and that he was blocking it, saw her shift into a more defensive stance at the idea that he had effectively trapped her. So he merely waited, shoving aside his inner demon calling for him to claim her; it wouldn't do if she was skittish around him, and he definitely wouldn't get anywhere satisfying if she decided to be offensive towards him. It wouldn't be wise for her to do the latter, and the former wouldn't work, but he'd promised himself that he would be respectful towards his intended no matter who they were. And someone of her caliber all but demanded to be treated equally and fairly anyway.

She took a few small steps back, quick, darting glances informing her that there was nothing she could pick up and use as a weapon should she need it, but there were plenty of things to hide behind. When her gaze finally came back to him to see that he hadn't move so much as a muscle, she breathed a diminutive sigh of relief. She wasn't about to let her guard down, but she didn't seem inclined to give into her flight or fight reflexes. That was a start. The powerful black-haired man waited patiently for her to give him further signals. He'd never gone about the process of claiming a female, and he had no intention of screwing this up.

After a few more moment of silence, she was beginning to get agitated as her wary guardedness gave way to a pretty little scowl, and she seemed like she was going to put her hands on her hips or something equally telling. He hadn't forgotten that he had requested that they speak in private, and she was most likely waiting for him to start speaking as she seemed to have mostly disregarded the possible threat he posed. He soothed his mild annoyance at the thought of her not being intimidated with the knowledge that he wasn't trying to scare her and that he'd have plenty of opportunities to demonstrate his power later on. Now was not the time for his ego.

"Well. Are you going to kidnap me or talk to me?"

Feisty little thing, wasn't she? He marveled at the way she'd gone from happy and compliant to defensive to wary to agitated and willing to show some backbone. Even if there was really no need for her indignation.

"I was waiting until you realized that I have no intention of abducting you simply because I didn't stop the door of an empty building from closing."

She bristled, green eyes beginning to light up at the implication that she was being a ridiculous child about a perfectly normal reaction. "Fine then. I'm calm now, so what is it that you wanted to talk to me about?"

Dark eyes observed her carefully, finding she was not, in fact, calm; all of her bolstering was merely a cover for the cagey wariness beneath. However, he knew that if he waited for that to go away, it would probably be after she'd left the vicinity of him. And since that was unacceptable, he nodded acquiescingly, showing he was capable of listening to her. He knew with the riled state she was in, telling her that she was his mate was not going to go well and would almost certainly end in her trying to escape. And since he didn't want to force her, that would make getting and keeping her by his side more difficult than he wanted it to be. Not that such a challenge would be unwelcome, but he was already going to meet enough resistance from her as it was. If Sasuke's input on the woman was anything to go by. He debated if it would be easier to invite her out or tell he liked her. Both perhaps? No, he had the feeling she wouldn't take him seriously if he merely asked her out to dinner or anything else.

"You are a busy woman."

She frowned at him, clearly not expecting such a statement nor what to make of it. "Yes." Sakura agreed slowly. "I like having my hands full."

He latched on to that instantly, his dark eyes bemused. "Truly? Then that works out in my favor. You see, I like a challenge."

The frown didn't disappear, but the wariness did remerge. "And what? I'm a challenge to you?"

He shook his head, chuckling softly. "Not exactly, though it was a challenge catching up to you." A glance at her told him she was confused by this stem of conversation, and she was beginning to glance around her again before turning her eyes to the door behind him that he still hadn't moved so much as an inch away from. He sighed, softly. "Perhaps I started this off wrong. I only want a bit of your time." Not true, but it would serve his purpose.

The frown faded in favor of something lighter. She stared at him for a long moment before snorting softly in a decidedly unladylike manner. "A little of my time?" She crossed her arms. "You couldn't stop by my hospital office, or hey, pick up a phone? Busy as I am, I do answer my phone."

He raised an eyebrow, ignoring the mocking sarcasm in her tone. Later, he reminded his ego. Besides, her spirited responses made her more than a little enticing. He wondered briefly how appealing she looked when she was completely pissed off. Something told him she wouldn't be just enticing then. "And you would have given me the time of day if I called you out of the blue?"

She paused, pursing her lips. But then she seemed to remember her first suggestion. "Office."

He kept watching her bemusedly. "Do you think I haven't tried that?"

She scowled confusedly at him. "I wasn't told that the esteemed Superintendent-General came looking for me."

He shrugged nonchalantly. "I didn't leave a message."

Sakura huffed, and her arms dropped from their crossed position. And after a moment of hesitance, she approached him, stopping a few feet away. So close and yet so far. But she had come forward this much willingly, and she was listening. Her big eyes, a feature of her Fey heritage no doubt, darted between his own dark eyes as she held his gaze curiously. "Of all the people you've ever met, why would you want _just a little bit _of my time?"

He stared back at her with a steady gaze. "There aren't many who would speak to me the way you have."

She blinked once and then made a sound that was caught somewhere between a huff and a laugh, causing it to sound like a strangled cough. "You mean because I talk to you like a human being."

He didn't miss how that was ironic. Instead he simply nodded. "Like I said, there aren't many who treat me as an equal."

"You are awe-inspiring." She muttered, the amused undertones telling of the fact that she was teasing and not mocking. Another step in the right direction. Her guard was down, she was responding positively, and he'd already established that she was listening.

"And you aren't intimidated." He couldn't help but marvel at the way she stood her ground. She thought before she spoke and before she acted; she was quick to make correct conclusions and to react the best way she could. But even when she'd slid straight to defense, she was still eyeing him and the door behind him to figure a way out of the situation. She was no distressing damsel, and he found himself liking that. He wouldn't always be around to protect her, but the way she recognized that she couldn't always win meant that she would still need to be saved every once in a while. Demanding attention, needing attention, but not always requiring attention. Perfect.

One pink eyebrow arched. "You'd have to earn that one." The look on her face told him that such an occurrence where she was intimidated wasn't one she ran into often and only half expected that he would be able to.

Dark eyes appraised her for an intent moment as he realized that she categorized respectable, inspiring, and intimidating in different ways even if they were slight. He wondered for a moment if it would suit his purposes to make sure he was in all three for her, or if the first two would be enough. Ultimately, he decided that no matter what he chose now, he could always change it later on. So if he only had two of the three from her now, then so be it because it would work out to his advantage either way. "You haven't answered my request." He'd let her beat around the bush long enough, and he wanted to know if she was going to be unnecessarily difficult about this whole matter.

The petite woman blinked, surprise smattering across her face. "What request? I've heard nothing but observations and clarifications from you."

Repressing the urge to frown, he finally moved from his statue-like stance. Her gaze dropped immediately to take note of the one simple step he took towards her before darting back up to stare defiantly back into his eyes. Clearly she thought he intended to crowd her and she was determined to show that such a thing wouldn't work. That was fine with him since that wasn't his goal at all when he chose to get closer to her. "I told you, I want a bit of your time." He pointed out patiently, as if reminding a child that they had forgotten something important.

She had no reservations about scowling indignantly at him for his patronizing tone. "That's still not a request. And if I remember correctly you said you _only_ want a bit of my time."

He nodded, still holding onto his patience; it would do no good to rush now that they were back on topic. But he didn't see any harm in taking another step towards her. She didn't pay it any mind this time and didn't seem inclined to budge in any direction either. He tilted his head slightly. "That is what I want." He paused, letting his sable black eyes show more of the intensity he felt. "For now, anyway." She was starting to look wary again, but he ignored it in favor of getting to his point. "My request is that you will make time in your busy schedule for me."

She stared at him for a long moment, her green eyes a window to all the thoughts occupying her mind. Caution mingled with curiosity as she eyed him. "That's all you want from me?" She paused in much the same manner he had. "For how long?"

He shrugged nonchalantly. "That would depend." This time when he took a step, she leaned back a little because this step had put him within arm's reach of her, and she didn't seem too keen on having her personal space invaded.

"On what?" A tint of nervousness had entered her tone, and he enjoyed the way his close proximity made her mind scramble to respond intelligently. He affected her. Good.

Itachi lifted a hand slowly, watching languidly as her gaze was held steadfast and warily by the movement. She didn't flinch from the proximity but she did naturalyl tip her head away from the encroachment of the space around her head. Ultimately however, she stayed mostly still as he turned his hand and brushed the backs of his knuckles down her cheek. Fascination held part of his gaze on his own movements rather than just her reaction. After a moment of feather-light caresses, he let his arm drop limply back at his side. Intent eyes returned to hers despite the fact that her line of sight was still focused on his hand. When she finally dragged her eyes back to his, he smirked faintly. "On you."

He heard her breath catch and took primal satisfaction that even though she viewed him as an acquaintance at best, she was still thoroughly affected by him. However, she snapped back quickly, effortlessly regaining her composure and straightening under his attentions. Again he found himself inwardly marveling at her, such a strong will, such a prideful person. It would be his pleasure to make those cornerstones of her personality his right alongside her. His instincts had turned out to be highly satisfying in their choice of his fated mate. Though in retrospect, they'd never steered him wrong before, either; he just had something to appreciate daily because of them. "What do you mean 'on me'? Last I checked, you're asking for a _bit of time_, not a relationship."

One elegant black eyebrow rose tellingly, and in turn her exquisite green eyes were wide as she backed up a few steps, only to run in a piece of furniture behind her. "Whoa, whoa." Something inside him rose to her voice, completely ignoring the panic that came with realization of exactly what he'd meant by 'for now'. He liked her soft voice, loved it already. Itachi wanted to hear his name on those lips, and his imagination was already supplying what it might sound like if she moaned it. If she was so responsive like this, how would she be when she was officially his? Before she could add anything on to that, he took a final step forward, all but touching her with every minute shift.

"Umm, back up please?" There was an edge of hysteria to her voice that hadn't been at quite that level previously.

"No." He answered deftly. This was not what he had planned, but since she'd reacted so strongly to a possible relationship, then he might as well as make all of his intentions clear. Besides, it would save him from needing to clear the air later on should she even begin to get the wrong idea. His arms came up to encircle her, preventing her from attempting to run in any direction. His demonic side was beginning rear its head in earnest; the powerful push to claim her, tie her to him irrevocably, had grown substantially within mere minutes. "You see, Sakura. You are a very special person." Confusion surfaced, overpowering her panic, and she opened her mouth only to shut it once more when he gave her a silencing look. It simply proved what he'd strongly suspected. "I'm sure you've heard stories of Fey and magic and all the other Lore like it. Correct?" But he didn't give her time to confirm or deny either way. "Whether you believe it or not doesn't matter because you are a half human-half Fey. Don't look at me like that. I assure you I am by no means insane." The skeptical sardonic look that crossed her face in response told him that she would need persuading. And he would enjoy _persuading_ her, but not right then. Right then, he wanted her verbal consent that she wasn't going to make this harder on him than it had to be. "I will provide evidence _after_we finish this conversation."

She huffed, but she wasn't physically struggling. Sakura pursed her lips and motioned with her hand for him to keep going. "I'm all ears."

"For one reason or another, you weren't told of your heritage. Not that it matters; even if you were completely human, it wouldn't change your situation." He smiled faintly at her compliance, even if she didn't mean it even half-heartedly. It was a start, and he'd been prepared for less.

She frowned. "Oh really, so what was the point of mentioning it?" Part of him was surprised; that wasn't the first question he'd expected her to ask. It certainly wasn't the most pressing one after all.

"Because you should be aware of it, and it will matter later on. And if you had been even marginally aware, I could have simply gotten straight to the point, rather than beat around the bush."

Green eyes eyed him warily, clearly not sure what conclusion to make of that. But in the end she nodded slowly and took a deep breath. Now she was going to dive into the part he was intent on getting to. "Alright. Well, now I know. So get to the point."

"You are the one who will be responsible for the Awakening." A look crossed her face, a disappointed, exasperated mix, but he didn't give her time to voice it. "That is why your knowledge of your own race is important. However, the reason why _I_ am approaching you is not so you will be aware of that fact. It is to inform you that you are my Fated one."

No longer willing to be quailed by his silencing look, she snapped, "Seriously? And what do you mean _Awaken _and _Fated_? I am my own person, I'll have you know." He realized it would be fun teaching this small human-Fey of the creatures of Lore, especially of his own kind. He smirked, a telling curl of his lips.

"As I said, your awareness is ideal, not necessary, so I have no intention of expanding on the Awakening. The Fated one though, it means you are my mate." Dark eyes narrowed at the protest that jumped to her lips. "That is not disputable; it is a fact. Now, your response to my request, Sakura?"

She stared at him for a long moment, glancing down to observe the way his arms were tight, almost restricting so, around her waist and didn't seem like they would budge until he had the answer he wanted. Sakura took another deep breath and tentatively met his gaze, clearly feeling overwhelmed and still holding a healthy dose of skepticism. "Just a bit of my time?"

Itachi nodded. "For now." Gratification settled in his chest when she didn't dispute his clarification.

The young woman bit her lip lightly before tacking on, "And an explanation with evidence?"

He'd already promised her that. But if she wanted a verbal assurance, then he didn't mind acquiescing. "Of course."

After a long silent moment as she weighed everything in her mind, she nodded once. "Okay. I'm making no promises, but I will promise to make a little room in my daily schedule for you."

That was all he needed.


	84. 62 Shower: Mud

**Title:** Moments in Time: A Close Up

**Author:** AppleL0V3R

**Beta-reader:** SymphoniaFreak

**Fandom:** Naruto

**Pairing:** Uchiha Itachi and Haruno Sakura

**Chapter:** Eighty-Four – #62 Shower: Mud.

**Rating:** T

**Type:** One-shot – Complete

**Summary:** Prompts from Moments in Time that I was requested to expand on. 84. 62 – Shower: Mud. She knew she shouldn't even care that he got her floors muddy, but she couldn't help it.

**Word Count:** 3,665

**Disclaimer:** If you've heard of it before, then it's obviously not mine.

**Note:** As the summary states, these are skits I was asked to turn into actual works. I will always put which one it was and the skit just before the chapter. They won't be in numerical order because I'm doing them as I'm requested. They won't be any more than one-shots though they may become two to five –shots (I will forewarn when that happens) but they won't become stories unless I choose to.

**Request by:** Anime Freak456 and Akatsuki Sakura Uchiha

**Note: **I know I left it in a not quite resolved manner, but that was intentional. This idea can go a lot of directions from where I ended it, really, so I've decided to leave it open for you, as the reader, to contemplate, or for me to build off of with another expanded drabble.

On a completely unrelated note, when I first started writing, I didn't understand how my favorite authors could create 6000+ word one-shots with a simple idea. Now 3,000 seem fairly short, and I know how they do it.

**Last Edited:** November 12, 2012

* * *

62. Shower (Sakura)

She nearly screamed. Not that she didn't feel justified in wanting to.

There was a criminal–one of the ten most wanted–in her bathroom, and she was in a small fluffy towel. He had blood on him; she could see it in the slightly darker patches of his black attire. And his gaze was fastened on her. She got the instant feeling of a crow's eyes looking straight at its food, and she was pretty sure she was said food.

Her body felt cold even, and not just from the water still sliding down her skin. She was paralyzed, unable to say anything, let alone think of an escape.

Worst of all, he'd tracked mud onto her newly cleaned, white marble floor.

* * *

Humming tunelessly, Sakura made her way to her bathroom with the intent of taking a nice, long shower after her tiring day. She loved her job and she loved her family, but it didn't mean she wasn't exhausted in all sense of the word after a sixteen hour shift followed by a team dinner. And showers were something of a way for her to relax and unwind, no matter what kind of day she had. The steaming water that bordered on scalding, the solid thrum of it against her skin was a type of massage on any limb it could reach, and she liked to simply let herself feel as the water slid down her body and eventually dripped to the tile floor of her walk-in shower.

After soaking in the feel of her tense muscles relaxing and beginning to unknot under the pressure of the water, she began to actually wash up. She lathered her favorite strawberry kiwi scented body wash all over her body. Then the matching strawberry shampoo and conditioner into her long pink locks until her hair was silky clean. She debated on whether she should get out after that. After all, the rest of her nightly grooming was done before she got in, and the only thing she had planned after this was sleep. So would it hurt if she stayed in just a little while longer? She didn't think so.

But apparently the universe didn't agree with her. Right then she felt her instincts kick up a fuss, alerting her to a danger she had somehow overlooked. Not more than a millisecond later, she realized that some of the steam from the hot water had dissipated, and that could only happen if the door was open. She hadn't left it ajar, and she definitely remembered locking it. Her heart picked up its pace as she forced herself to remain calm; it wouldn't do to lose her head in a situation like this. Moving slowly and cautiously, she shut off the water, suddenly thankful that she'd made sure nothing in her home squeaked or creaked. A voice in the back of her head, the one she didn't like listening to, whispered that it really wouldn't matter now. Keeping her cautious pace, she grabbed the towel that she kept over the glass doors, and wrapped it around her dripping wet body.

At some point, she realized she'd started holding her breath, and her lungs started to burn with the need for oxygen. But she ignored her body's needs in favor of assessing the threat currently in the entrance of her bathroom. Squaring her shoulders, she reminded herself that she was an accomplished kunoichi who had proven on more than one occasion that she was most certainly capable of taking care of herself. Again that voice piped up, unwanted but heard all the same as it reminded her that she was extremely low on chakra, and her muscles were still sore after her long day. She was vulnerable. And the oppressive feel of the dark chakra swirling tamely less than ten feet away informed her that bare minimum would get her nowhere right now.

If she wanted to live through this encounter, she was going to have to be smart and quick.

Slowly she exhaled her pent-up breath, careful to make no sound at all and very little movement. She knew whoever was out there could see her silhouette and every shift she made, but it didn't stop her from being paranoid. Paranoid tended to keep her ass alive; assumptions and carelessness were a good way to get killed. With her breathing and panic under control, she reached out slowly to grab the slick, metal handle and pulled open the only barrier between herself and her threat. And she proceeded to nearly scream. Not that she didn't feel justified in wanting to.

The threat she'd felt was a criminal, one of the ten most wanted at that. And he stood nonchalantly in her bathroom like he had every right to be there while she was in nothing but a small, fluffy towel. Thankfully, her ingrained analytical tendencies kicked in before the panic could resurge. He had blood on him; she could see it in the slightly darker patches of his black attire. Subconciously, she wondered where his Akatsuki cloak was. But the question was left unanswered as she realized his gaze was fastened on her. She got the instant feeling of a crow's eyes looking straight at its food, and she was pretty sure she was said food. It left her feeling uncomfortable and cornered. Her body felt cold, and not just from the water still sliding down her bare skin. She was paralyzed, unable to say anything, let alone think of an escape.

Again, that inconvenient part of her brain that noticed all the wrong things and wondered at all the wrong thoughts noted something: he'd tracked mud onto her newly cleaned, white marble floor.

She nearly cracked a smile at her own insanity. Mud on her pristine floor was hardly the worst of her troubles, but it was the first thing that got her to feel past the numbing panic that had seized her chest with a cold, firm grip. And she latched instantly onto the irritation that her dirtied floor caused, refusing to let go simply because anger was a good defense. It always cleared her mind, forcing aside all other emotions to make room for its intensity. This time was no different; all she had to do was hold on tight as she egged it forward with facts like he had broken into her house.

For a brief moment, she questioned why he was in _her _house. Surely if he was capable of entering Konoha's gates with nothing but a few blood stains that she was fairly certain weren't his, then wouldn't he go after Naruto or Sasuke, or hell, even Kakashi: Why would he come looking for her? Fear and anxiety tried to creep back in as she thought that maybe, maybe it was because he'd maimed one of her brothers and was expecting her to stabilize them enough for him to drag them back to Akatsuki headquarters so the twisted, dark men could finally finish their screwed up plans of…well, she didn't know what they were planning, but she knew it wasn't any sort of good. After all, what semi-benign plan requires the control of nine powerful demons? But she forced any feeling that went along with these thoughts away except for the anger and loathing and indignation that they inspired.

It was fuel tothe fire, and that was enough for her confidence to rise to a level that allowed her to boldly step out of her white, stainless bathtub in nothing but a small towel and proceed to stare down her intruder with malicious, promising eyes. When she opened her mouth, a dozen witty and sharp and intimidating comments were running through her mind, but none of them came out.

"What the hell are doing tracking mud on my clean floors?" She could have smacked herself; she wanted to find the nearest hard surface and bang her head against it. But she really didn't want to give him more reasons to think she wasn't alright in the head. Wait. Why not? Would he leave her the hell alone faster if he thought she was a head case? As far she was concerned, it was worth a try, and it wasn't like she hadn't played the role of the clinically insane before. It had been a whole lot of fun then; she imagined it wouldn't be any less now. However, before she could open her mouth to start in on him or even move an inch for that matter, he slammed her painfully into the wall by her throat as he held her up a good half foot off the ground.

There was no cruel smirk or otherwise morbid amusement that he had her life literally in his hands; in fact, the only expression on his face was nonchalant apathy, like he'd done this too many times before. And that in itself was unnerving for her, leaving her at a loss. She knew how to deal with arrogance and sadism in situations like these. But he gave no indication that he even _felt_ something at the moment, so obscure were his intentions. If she didn't know better, she'd have thought he was taking a calming walk or drinking a cup of freshly brewed tea. Despite having every intention of acting more insane than she was, she chose to let her body go limp and dropped any pretense of continuing with her plan. If she couldn't get a read on him, then out-of-the-box ideas that required foreknowledge were more likely to get her killed than a logical approach would.

As much as she hated it, she was going to have to sit tight and wait for him to tell her what he wanted from her, and hopefully that didn't include killing her. Instinct told her that struggling was futile; he knew about her inhuman strength, surely, and he would be prepared to counter it. Which would leave her not only caught but probably severely injured in one way or another. She thought about using the skin-on-skin contact to use chakra to send an electrical jolt through his body via neurotransmitters; maybe that would make him let go of her. Or it might irritate him, and that wasn't very conductive. So, she bit her tongue and forced herself to wait.

Crimson eyes gazed into hers with an alarming intensity, seeming to drill through her thoughts to her very soul; the thought triggered a shiver that she couldn't repress in time. He canted his head slightly; flashes of contemplation and intrigue chased each other through his eyes too quickly for her to be sure she wasn't just seeing things. Finally a corner of his lips quirked, still not quite condescension, but she didn't like the lilt any better than the absence of expression. He was smirking, faintly and without emotion, but she'd seen Sasuke smirk enough times to know what that curl formed. What it meant, however, was a whole other matter that she wasn't in the mood to start poking and prodding. If the man wanted to be confusing then fine; she sure as hell wasn't going to waste precious energy or better spent time on figuring it out. She doubted it would help her right then to have any answers anyway.

After what seemed an eternity, he finally opened his mouth, and the voice that came out wasn't at all like she expected it to be. It was soft and polite, though void of any real emotion. "I apologize for dirtying your floor." Had she known him better, she would have known that there was an amused undertone in his words. But she didn't know him better, and as she was still being held off the ground by her throat, she would have been even more agitated to know that he found anything about the situation amusing at that moment.

She had two ways to respond; no, actually she had three. She could answer him, she could demand to know what he wanted, or she could order him to let her go and get the hell out of her apartment. The first really didn't appeal to her, but she had enough common sense to override her anger and know that the last one would get her less than nowhere. The second one was probably the best, and while intuitively she knew that civility would get her farther, she didn't particularly feel like being any sort of nice or polite with the criminal before her. "What the hell do you want?" She snarled, itching to do something her hands and fighting the urge.

The other corner of his lips curled, and this time the amusement was a little more pronounced. "Careful what tone you use, Kunoichi. You're hardly in any position to be making demands." His hand tightened subtly, reminding her that he could end her life on a whim if he wanted to. But instead of frightening or cowing her as it should have, it pissed her off even more. Her blood began to boil as she felt fire making its way through her veins to her eyes

She laughed harshly. "Then I guess it's a good thing that I asked a question." Logically she should have kept her mouth shut. But Sakura didn't actually have a shred of self-preservation, so she didn't refrain from doing everything within her power to irritate the dangerous man with his hand on her neck. Being part of Team Seven had a few side effects that included, but weren't limited to: stubbornness, hot-headedness, loyalty, lack of self-preservation, and being prone to violence. And the only one more iconic on their team for it than Sakura was Naruto. In fact, unless Sasuke and Naruto were around to remind her that she was supposed to be the voice of reason, the calm and level-headed diplomat who could get out of most situations with a little common sense and a fast mouth, then she was wont to being nearly as bad as Naruto without being tempered in anyway. Not a good thing in situations like these, but true nonetheless.

Bland eyes flashed warningly as his hold constricted until she was struggling for air but refusing to cough or gasp as her eyes spat green fire back at him. And then suddenly she was falling, the abruptness and suffocation disorienting her too much for her to catch herself before she crashed painfully into the ground at his feet. In a split second she was on her hands and knees, glaring at him with as much force and anger as she could muster. Her towel was forgotten as she focused on not backing down from gazing brazenly back into his eyes even with her own vulnerable position so clear. Subconsciously, her shinobi training kicked in, moving her body automatically to a more defensive and protective position as she backed away from him far as she could.

"You intend to be difficult." His tone was nonchalant, almost bored. It rankled horribly considering he'd almost choked her to death. He could at least be courteous enough react to that fact; she didn't care how. She just wanted confirmation that if he killed her, he wouldn't be completely unaffected. No one wants to be murdered, but no shinobi wants to face death and see a perfectly blank mask before they die. She'd take unfathomable pain and torture over a death like that any day.

She snorted derisively. "I think I'm allowed to be difficult. I have an S_-class criminal_ in my _bathroom_ for a reason that I really can't figure out. And besides, I don't really like you."

He didn't even blink, so unfazed was he by her mini-tirade. Then something seemed to capture his attention as his eyes turned almost curious. Almost. Because by that point, she was willing to believe that he was an emotionless bastard. "And what exactly have I done to earn your distaste, Kunoichi?"

"I have a name." She snapped back reflexively. It was a defense mechanism meant to buy her time to think about her actual response, but it seemed only to amuse the powerful man before her. She had to crane her neck to keep her gaze locked with his when he took a step towards her, but before she could think to jump to her feet, he crouched so they were closer to being eye-level. It didn't escape her notice that he chose to stay a few inches above her, but she couldn't tell if it was intentional or not. She almost smacked herself for even wondering at the distinction because it this was hardly the time for idle thoughts. The petite woman threw him her fiercest scowl. "You're hunting my best friend, and you seem to get a kick out of prodding Sasuke further into insanity and hatred. Oh, and then there was the time you hospitalized my former sensei." She could continue, but by the way he didn't even flinch, she knew it would be a waste of her breath. So she resorted to trying to glare holes into him.

He tilted his head again in that same manner as before, the possibly, maybe intrigued one. "That's not what I asked."

Green eyes blinked, momentarily confused as her brain scrambled to present her with his exact wording. "Yes it is. You asked what you've done to earn my distaste. You hurt my family in more ways than one." Even threats towards her loved one could push her buttons like nothing else. Hurting them was a sure fire way to get on more than just her bad side, and the extent to which this particular criminal had damaged her family was cause for more than just distaste. If she didn't think he would catch her wrist and kill her before she had the chance to actually injure him, she would be happy to punch with all her strength.

He shook his head. "As a student of Hatake Kakashi, I would have thought you would be keener to implications."

If she weren't on the receiving end of it, she would have marveled at the way that every time he opened his mouth, anything that came out just pissed her off even more. "Okay, fine, you've done _nothing_ against me in particular to warrant any dislike." Sakura snapped, feeling trapped without even being backed into a corner. She hated feeling like this, like prey, weak and powerless to stop what was happening to her. And then something occurred to her. "Well, except for this." Unconsciously, she raised her arms and gestured vaguely to the whole bathroom.

Right then she remembered that she had nothing to cover her body but a small white towel, and definitely wasn't doing anything to keep it in place. Just as she was reaching for the ends of the towel, she froze up as a pale hand entered her peripheral vision alarmingly quick. But rather than grab or touch her in anyway, purple-nailed fingers grasped the edges of the towel and efficiently began the process of returning her modesty to her. Green eyes watched in an almost mesmerized fashion, dragging them to already familiar crimson eyes when the task was done and the fluffy towel once more insulated and protected her naked body. She was so caught up in trying to absorb the little favor he'd just granted her that she didn't notice that his hands remained where they had settled on the sides of her midsection, and she almost missed the way those eyes flashed with a sort of bemusement she was quick to tell herself she had imagined. Because she really, truly didn't want to contemplate _why_ he'd been looking at her like that, not even for a moment.

Sakura found herself jerked out of her trance-like state when he opened his mouth. "If that is your only issue with me, then I believe we shouldn't have any trouble finding common ground." His soft words were punctuated by a tilt of his lips, and while it made him look illegally handsome, she knew instinctively that whatever happened next she would not like.

With a swift yank, she found herself flush against his hard body, and before she could do anything to counteract, cold air suddenly settled around her accompanied by the normal sounds of forest nightlife.


	85. 63 Tell: With Words

**Title:** Moments in Time: A Close Up

**Author:** AppleL0V3R

**Beta-reader:** SymphoniaFreak

**Fandom:** Naruto

**Pairing:** Uchiha Itachi and Haruno Sakura

**Other Characters:** Uchiha Sasuke, Kenta (Own character), Uzumaki Naruto, and Yamanaka Ino

**Chapter:** Eighty-Five – #63 Tell: With Words.

**Summary:** Prompts from Moments in Time that I was requested to expand on. 85. 63 – Tell: With Words. He wanted her attention, even if it meant speaking up.

**Word Count:** 4,600

**Rating:** T

**Type:** One-shot – Complete

**Genre: **Romance (Fluff), school life

**Warnings:** N/A

**Disclaimer:** If you've heard of it before, then it's obviously not mine.

**Completed:** January 7, 2013

**Note:** As the summary states, these are skits I was asked to turn into actual works. I will always put which one it was and the skit just before the chapter. They won't be in numerical order because I'm doing them as I'm requested. They won't be any more than one-shots though they may become two to five –shots (I will forewarn when that happens) but they won't become stories unless I choose to.

First off, wow. I was not expecting the response I got from the last one-shot. I'll remember that for the next time I leave a one-shot hanging. As I told most of you in the reviews and even in the notes of the one-shot itself, the open-ended ending was intentional. But because of all the feedback to continue it, there will be a sequel as soon as I figure out which drabble works best for a follow up. Also, before I forget a thank you to all of you who reviewed (and those who didn't). It inspired me to get a whole lot done (and made me grin like a suddenly-big headed idiot) when I opened my inbox the morning after I posted the last chapter.

… I just don't like the beginning of this one. Specifically the first few sentences. I know what I don't like about it; it feels more like I'm…telling (no pun intended) and not showing enough, but I'm not sure how to fix it. So if it bugs you as much as it bugs me, my apologies.

Also, I don't know if Japanese schools actually have honors or AP classes, this is just me using my own schooling experience as a base point (I couldn't find any evidence of it though…). I would be the research geek who reads like fifteen different websites, word for word, just so I could be accurate in my story about the little details of Japanese schools. If I made any other mistakes, feel free to point them out and I will edit them as soon as I get to it.

**Request by:** Anime Freak456

**Last Edited:** May 12, 2013

* * *

63. Tell (Itachi)

Itachi wasn't one for public speaking, or even a lot of speaking in general. He didn't mind talking, but he preferred not to. He liked staying in the backgrounds, making sure everything went right.

But right now, there was no way he could avoid it. Not if he wanted her attention. It was truly baffling to him – to have to work for another's attention. Especially a female's. But perhaps that was part of her appeal; she didn't fall all over him like the others.

In any case, he was determined to do what he had to. And telling her the truth of his intentions towards her seemed ideal. But as he watched her decline yet another pursuer, he decided he would benefit from getting Sasuke's help.

* * *

If there was one thing that Uchiha Itachi could be accused of avoiding, it would be speaking. Saying any more than a couple of sentences didn't quite make him uncomfortable; he simply didn't see it as necessary. Speeches were the only exception he could think of, and even then he didn't like them. He just wasn't one for public speaking, or even a lot of speaking in general. He liked staying in the backgrounds, controlling and watching to make sure everything went right. That was typically good enough for him; it got what he wanted accomplished, and it kept him from having to entertain others.

However, there was another exception to this it seemed. And that was expressing his feelings for others. It wasn't something he tended to do, so he never bothered to worry about it. But right now, there was no way he could avoid it. Not if he wanted her attention. It was truly baffling to him – to have to work for another's attention. Especially when they were of the female persuasion. But perhaps that was part of her appeal; she didn't fall all over him like the others.

The abovementioned 'she' was Haruno Sakura. She was five years his junior, but she was already eighteen and single. She also happened to be his little brother's best friend. And when she wasn't spending time with him and their other friend, Uzumaki, she was with her own best friend, Yamanaka. Outside of her group of friends, he had yet to see any guy keep her attention for any more than a conversation, and if someone did, it was because he was a loose acquaintance. According to Sasuke, she didn't date because of her horrible streak of jerks for boyfriends.

He knew he could get her attention; all it took was falling in step with her while she was walking, or to sit at the Uchiha kitchen table whenever she was within the main house. But he also knew that she didn't consider him any more than his _otouto_'s elder brother whom she didn't really know. And with good reason; he could count on both hands the number of times they'd ever spoken so much as one word to each other. But he wanted to know more, wanted to see how she worked, wanted to know what her goals were and how she spent her days. It wasn't an urge he normally got, but the few times they did converse, he found her interesting. Her opinions were original and refreshing, even if they had naivety to them. She tended to keep to herself, preferring not to be the center of attention, but that didn't make her any less shy about making herself known when she felt it necessary.

The first time his little brother brought her up in conversation, he was intrigued about why. Sasuke didn't mention any of his friends no matter how close they were, not unless he thought Itachi would have even the slightest curiosity in them. And Sakura had certainly come up more than once since then. More than half the time it was because his grouchy little brother was grumbling about something she'd done. From what he'd gathered, she was one of the few who could unfailingly agitate the younger Uchiha, and she apparently enjoyed doing so. Although, he did remember times when the raven-haired teen had come home, nursing a swelling wound, but looking triumphant because he'd managed to thoroughly get under the rosette's skin. Itachi had wondered ever since then if she responded to everyone the same way when agitated. After all, Uzumaki and Sasuke had certainly earned more than a few bruises due to her temper.

From what he had heard from a friend who was just a year older than her, he knew she was book smart at the very least because of all the honors and AP classes she took and passed. He also knew from her that she took two extracurricular activities: martial arts because of Sasuke and Naruto and student council because she wanted to. Both clubs were demanding and required thought and skill to even be proficient. And he knew through friends and family that she was more than proficient.

From the few impressions and the little knowledge he had of her, Itachi found himself wanting to get to know Haruno Sakura much better. And to do that, he was going to have to speak up to get her attention.

Spring was around the corner, and exams for both Uchiha brothers were just as close. Itachi had taken to picking up his little brother from school so that they both could head over to the local library and get some school work done. This was a habit of theirs when they both needed to study and being at home was not ideal. After all, spring was when their parents were busier than usual, and when their parents became busy, Itachi and Sasuke found themselves put to work. And on that particular day, Itachi had been waiting for his brother, who was late in getting to the front of the school for some unbeknownst reason, when he saw something intriguing.

The older of the Uchiha brothers had been going over finances and budgeting in his head, more specifically in certain social situations that he had been thinking about since his economic class had ended little more than fifteen minutes prior. The raven haired teenager had settled himself in one of the school's many seating areas when he happened to glance over to his left and saw Sakura with a guy who looked about the same age as her. He had a side view of the conversation, which allowed him to see both parties' facial expressions and body language. Sakura's face was soft and apologetic, but firm at the same time; her body language similarly backed it up with her crossed arms and straight posture, both indicating she was not receptive to whatever the other teen was saying. Said guy was waving his arms around, and the look on his face was pleading; clearly he intended to get her to agree to whatever she had initially said no to. And for some reason, Sakura was incessant on keeping to her original answer.

Knowing Sakura was the type of person who eventually gave way to another's wishes unless the matter and her stance on it were important to her, Itachi could not help but wonder what she refused to agree to, or rather what her male classmate wanted. After a moment, Sakura started walking in his direction; the other student, still not willing to take the 'no' just yet, was quick on her heels.

Sakura stopped again seconds later, this time within Itachi's hearing range. "I'm sorry, Kenta, but I am refusing on the grounds that I am simply too busy right now. Please understand that it's not your fault."

He frowned and huffed, but eventually nodded glumly. "The second you're not too busy…"

She smiled softly, and nodded. "I will consider it more seriously. But please don't plan on it; you never know what may be thrown your way." And with that, she pivoted on her heel and continued on her way while the teen turned, shoulders hunched slightly, and went back the way he came. Her steps slowed as her gaze crossed his, and she smiled beatifically. "Itachi, how are you? You're here to pick up Sasuke, right?"

Shifting slightly, so as to make room for her to sit down if she wanted, he nodded. "I am; we both need to go to the library." He paused and decided that she had not asked the first question as a formality or a lead in. "I am well, and yourself?"

She shrugged and clearly debated sitting down, but chose not to. "Busy, but that's normal so I guess I'm good. Are your parents being overt busybodies again?"

He had been about to respond to her first statement when her question made him pause in surprise. However, he quickly remembered that she was one his little brother's two closest friends, so of course she would be aware of what a library visit directly after school meant for the brothers. In the end, he simply nodded, not really wanting to go into detail about that particular aspect of his life. He may have wanted to get to know her better, but sharing such personal stuff didn't seem the best way to start off.

Sakura gave him a sympathetic look in reply before quirking another smile. This one seemed to say goodbye though. "I wish you the best of luck, and I'll talk to you soon."

It was the longest conversation they'd had in a while so he was willing to leave it at that, and he nodded once more. She was already out the school's front entrance before he thought to actually say goodbye back to her, but he didn't think she minded. Still he stared at the large doors a moment longer, looking away only at the sound of footsteps stopping right in front of him. Turning his head, he was met with the dark eyes of his little brother. Itachi merely arched an eyebrow and Sasuke shrugged in turn. Pushing himself to his feet, both brothers headed out the twin doors and towards the parking lot, neither wanting to spend the next few hours in the library, but preferring it to going straight home.

After hours at the library, Itachi glanced up from the book he had found to use as a reference in his latest research paper when Sasuke let his math textbook fall shut with the homework papers still inside. The younger teen blinked back almost placidly, clearly satisfied at having all of his calculus homework finished for the night. Placing his index finger between the pages, the older Uchiha allowed his own book to close as well. Now would be as good a time as any. "Why doesn't Sakura accept dating offers?"

Again his brother blinked, but this time was more out of shock. Whatever he had been expecting Itachi to say, that hadn't been it. It took a long moment for the question to sink in before dark eyes narrowed slightly. "Why would Sakura's love-life concern you, _Aniki_?"

If he were anyone else, Itachi would have rolled his eyes at that reply. Sometimes, he forgot how possessive of his friends Sasuke could be. "Relax, _otouto_, I am merely curious." Deciding to throw the younger Uchiha a bone since it would help his cause: "While I was waiting, she turned down an advance from one of her classmates."

Despite being told to relax, suspicion still radiated through his posture. "Sakura…she likes being helpful, and she likes it when people are straightforward with her, but she is a fantasizer." He paused, running that sentence through his head, and decided it more or less answer Itachi's question. After all, the older brother was more than smart enough to infer the rest.

And infer he did. While Sasuke pulled out a composition notebook, Itachi let his mind ponder and expand on the new bit of information. Clearly, putting her on the spot did not work with Sakura; thus asking her out point-blank would yield the same result as her classmate had gotten. However, he knew that complete honestly would be a good policy after she said yes. So, if she was a dreamer, what appealed to her enough for her to at least give him a try?

* * *

For the third time that week, Itachi found himself in need of using the library as a way to stay away from home. However, Sasuke had already finished all of his papers for the foreseeable future so he would be hanging out with his friends instead. That suited Itachi just fine, as he had been waiting for a chance to speak with Sakura while his little brother's advice and his own plans were still clear in his mind. And as it turned out, Sakura had a report to work on and so she was planning a nice long visit to the library as well, leaving him a large window to catch and talk to her.

Sauntering down the philosophy aisle, his dark eyes drifted over the many book titles as he passed them. There were exceedingly few in the collection that he hadn't read, and none of the unfamiliar ones were jumping out at him right then. He was too preoccupied with what he would say to Sakura when he finally ran into her to actually pay attention to any of the books currently at his fingertips. Imagine his surprise when he did quite literally almost run into her due to inattention. The only reason he didn't was his sharp senses and the realization that he had wandered right out of the philosophical section without even noticing it. A cursory glance told him he was in the historical section, more specifically the Tokugawa Shogunate of the Edo period area. The Meiji era books were most likely one shelf over since they were shelved chronologically, and Sakura seemed to be settle directly between the two, paying them equal mind with a small stack of books secure in her arms. From his angle, her arms blocked the titles.

Recalling the bit about her having a report to write, he wondered what aspect of this part of history she was writing on, and belatedly found himself thankful for such an easy opening. "Research?"

She jerked slightly, clearly surprised at the unexpected question directed her way though she recovered quickly enough. Blinking once at him, she then smiled brightly and shrugged her shoulders. "Yeah. For home economics, we're supposed to pick a point in history when family values changed and explain in what way." Her green eyes drifted back to the rows of books, scanning for more on her specific topic no doubt.

He turned his own dark gaze to them as well, inquiring lightly, "There are a lot of elements to family life between the Shogunate regime and the beginning of the Meiji era. Are you covering all of them?" If so, he imagined that such a paper would require a lot of work, especially if she intended to do as well as he thought she might on it. Spotting a title that seemed in line with what she had mentioned, he reached out and tugged it from its place before offering it to her. Again he was presented with a bright smile, this one more grateful than surprised, as she accepted the book and placed it on top of her pile.

"Well, I'm focusing more on the samurai families and the families of the shoguns, since those were the types of families that were forced to change the most. I'm also touching on the lives of the common people, since they were affected by the ushering of the new era, but that's not really my focus." He thought to add that ninja also played a role, but he supposed that would only add unnecessary parts to her paper. It was already in depth as it was, anyway. Itachi nodded slightly, to show acknowledgement of her ideas without saying anything. For a time, the two of them simply combed the shelves to find anything that related to her topic, and once they had finished with the section and even browsed a few of the more recent time period for finishing touches, both held a hefty stack of books.

The high school third year grunted softly as she set them solidly on an unoccupied table. She proceeded to sigh as she surveyed the sheer number of books they had collected. He watched her with growing amusement as wariness at the amount of work ahead of her battled with her will to learn and surmount the challenge. Finally she turned a grateful smile his direction though the weight of her impending paper made it significantly less bright than it had been not too long ago. He offered her no sympathy for her plight; she had chosen to make this task harder than it had to be all on her own. Granted, he would certainly be very impressed if she did well on it. Still, he stepped forward and pulled out one of the four chairs, indicating for her to sit which she did gladly after shooting him a thankful grin. After a moment, she remembered her manners and leaned over to pull at another chair for him, to which he just barely managed to withhold a bemused snort as he took the offered seat.

Seeming to regain some of her vigor in the blink of an eye, Sakura straightened and began sorting through the books, setting them in categories based solely on the titles and minor descriptions given. His mind wandered to how to go about asking her on some sort of date while he picked up and put down book after book in their proper piles. Generally, he was good at leading conversations subtly in the direction he wanted them to go, but when it came to asking a girl out on a date—something he had never done before—he was not entirely sure how to even go about a direct approach, let alone a tactful one. A sidelong glance told him that she was completely immersed in her task of sorting; she was going through each pile a second time to thoroughly make sure it belonged.

"May I ask you a personal question?" Itachi inquired, knowing the answer, but also knowing this was probably the best way to approach the situation so far as he could tell.

Green eyes blinked in surprise before she shrugged easily. "Sure, go ahead." It never ceased to amaze him how open and easy going she could be, even though he still fell into the 'acquaintance' category. That was about to change though; even if he managed to place himself into a 'more-than-friends' category before dating her, he was not going to settle for 'friends' with her.

"The other day, why did you turn your classmate down?" Despite Sasuke's advice, Itachi knew it never hurt to have more knowledge about a matter when making or following through on a plan of action. Not to mention it was something he had been curious as to the actual answer ever since he saw her turn the other teen down, especially since Sasuke implied there was a reason, but never said it plainly or otherwise.

For a moment she looked confused, not because she didn't understand his question, but because she was trying to figure out what he was talking about. When it finally clicked it, was like a light turned on, and she let a quiet 'oh!' escape her. Then she went silent again, this time to give his question and her answer consideration; her hands still held an old volume that had clearly been collecting dust as she sat completely still. There was a pregnant pause after a small span of silence before she sighed softly. "I…I guess I'm…waiting for the right guy to ask me out. It was nothing against my classmate, it just didn't…he didn't seem like what I'm looking for. I guess." Finally she shrugged, as if to say 'I don't know what else to say' and returned to her sorting task.

Mulling her statement over in his head, Itachi settled for simply watching her avidly pick up books, turn them over, flip to the inside cover and even the first page in some cases, before setting them down again. "Did you know the guy that asked you out?"

She shook her head; her pink locks flew a bit due to their short, unpinned state. "Not really, a conversation here and there, a few greetings, but that's pretty much about it." He could see she put thought into her answers, and that his absent observance didn't bother her in the slightest as she neither slowed down nor fidgeted.

Worry started to set in, considering that was all he and her had shared so far as well. Forcing himself to remain nonchalant, he forged on with his leading questions. "Then how do you know he wasn't what you were looking for?"

Again she paused in both action and thought. She looked up to meet his even gaze with a curious and confused, if surprised, expression of her own. Clearly after his series of questions, she was beginning to notice a pattern as to their direction, though he couldn't tell if it disconcerted her. And the way he could see the thoughts turning in her head, he knew she intended to answer him. "A feeling, I guess. I don't really know how to explain it. I figure I know it's the right person when it feels right." So, interaction helped, but their lack of it didn't cancel him from her line of sight should she choose to give him the chance.

With no small amount of trepidation, he inquired the one question that would determine if his questions were all for naught. "And have you met anyone who 'felt' right?"

If she was willing to simply answer him before, she did a complete one-eighty now. Her lips twitched into a confused and wary sort of frown as she pinned him with an almost intense look. "Itachi, what exactly are you getting at?" Before he could even put together a sentence in his head she continued onwards. "I know you're not the type to ask pointless questions so don't even think about making it seem like you're making small talk." She warned lightly, and then paused in the universal way that seemed to signal something had just occurred to her. And sure enough a dawning look of realization contorted her features in a tentative and almost nervous way. "Itachi…are you trying to ask if I want to go out with you?"

He wondered whether he should curse or be thankful for her brilliant deductive reasoning. "What would you say if I did ask?"

Still wary, she considered him for a long moment before finally shrugging. "I…well, I wouldn't say _no_, but…" The gears turned in her head as she continued to give him her undivided attention. The instinct to latch on and push that 'but' rose strongly, and he had to fight to suppress it.

He refused to let himself feel any of the emotions that threatened to overwhelm him at her answer, especially that urge. After all, he had an endgame, and that was to go out with her. She didn't have to say yes now; she just had to say yes eventually. Slowly, he nodded in understanding. "It is sudden. Which is why that was not what I was going to ask initially."

Green eyes blinked before she quirked a pink eyebrow curiously. "Oh? What did you _initially_ want to ask?" If he wasn't mistaken, she sounded almost amused.

He paused, carefully weighing all of the possible responses to put together the best one. After a moment, he selected one and decided to wing it, if only a bit. "Have lunch with me sometime soon." Watching her eyes widen, he quickly tacked on, "Not as a date, and it doesn't have to be tomorrow. Just when we are both able and you want to."

She stared at him a good long while, and just when he was starting to get antsy, she grinned. "Lunch." Sakura proceeded to nod and finally turn back to the forgotten books, "Tomorrow sounds good. My lunch period is at 12:15, so…meet me at the school?"

Itachi stifled a triumphant grin; she was willing to give him the time of day, and that was all he needed. Now that he had his foot in the door, he would show her that dating him was more than just a good idea. With that thought in mind, he turned his own attention back to her books as well, more than happy to put off his work so as to spend time conversing with her.


	86. 78 Cliff: Suicidal

**Title:** Moments in Time: A Close Up

**Author:** AppleL0V3R

**Beta-reader:** SymphoniaFreak

**Fandom:** Naruto

**Pairing:** Uchiha Itachi and Haruno Sakura

**Other Characters: **Hoshigaki Kisame

**Chapter:** Eighty-Six – #78 Cliff: Suicidal

**Summary:** Prompts from Moments in Time that I was requested to expand on. 86. 78 - Cliff: Suicidal. She should have known that he would catch up to her, even if she jumped off a cliff.

**Word Count:** 3,840

**Rating:** T

**Type:** One-shot – Complete

**Genre: **Drama, Action

**Warnings: **Violence, Abduction

**Disclaimer:** If you've heard of it before, then it's obviously not mine.

**Started: **April 12, 2013

**Completed: **May 10, 2013

**Note:** As the summary states these, are skits I was asked to turn into actual works. I will always put which one it was and the skit just before the chapter. They won't be in numerical order because I'm doing them as I'm requested. They won't be any more than one-shots though they may become two to five –shots (I will forewarn when that happens) but they won't become stories unless I choose to.

**Request by:** Anime Freak456

**Edited on:** Sep 3, 2013

* * *

78. Cliff (Sakura)

It was an idiotic idea. It was more than a lot risky. She had pretty much no chance of living through it and if she did, she would sustain permanent damage. But it wasn't like the other option was any better; in fact it was probably worse.

So when she came to the edge of the cliff, and when looking down she couldn't see the ground below, she jumped. She hesitated for the barest of moments, had glanced back at her pursuer, but was already in the air and falling faster every second by the time he got to the edge.

It should have been the end. But it wasn't, because he'd jumped off right after her.

He knew he'd survive, and she would as well.

* * *

When the first opportunity provided itself, she was gone as fast as she could manage. It hadn't been impossible, but getting away had been no walk in the park either. Between the Uchiha's hawk-like eyes that missed nothing and Kisame who had sharp chakra sensors, leaving without their notice was nearly impossible. Nearly.

That particular moment had been one where neither was focused on her. Something else had clearly been more pressing, and she hadn't stopped to figure out what it was. She wasn't going to waste any time, especially if she had only a few moments to get a head start. Itachi had warned her when he'd first taken her prisoner that she shouldn't try to escape or she would regret it. At the time she'd simply stared back at him, too furious about being in that situation in the first place to really take his threat seriously. Now she didn't even give it a passing thought as she hurried down the hall. Thinking about it would only slow her brain down with useless worry rather than processing her surroundings and strategies as quickly as she needed.

They'd stopped in a barren town that was so empty it could have passed for a ghost town. For that, she was both grateful and discouraged. Grateful because it meant no civilians could get caught in any possible crossfire; since she had no doubt the two Akatsuki members would have no qualms about hurting them. Grateful because they weren't so strict about how far she could wander because there was a dismal chance anyone would recognize her. Discouraged because the lack of population meant less of a chance for someone to recognize her and get location information to her village. It also meant there was no place in town where she could blend in should they catch up to her before she made it out of town.

Catching her breath seemed impossible even though she knew she was nowhere near out of breath; her lungs didn't burn any more than she expected them too after all. It was the psychological effects of panic and anxiety setting in as she couldn't seem to move her legs fast enough. Couldn't get out this town fast enough, couldn't get away from _them_ fast enough. But she wasn't running blindly. This backwater town was more than familiar to her; she knew where she was going and every step was one closer to her home. All she had to do was think fast and stay a couple steps ahead of her captors. And if they had been anyone else, she wouldn't be pushing herself so hard. But they were Akatsuki. In fact, they were the two known for stamina and capturing their prey. Which left her desperate and trying to press her advantage as best she could.

Not more than a couple miles outside the ghost town she knew instinctively they had realized that she had made her escape and could easily guess her destination. But she couldn't stay ahead of them _and_ mislead them; setting traps and backtracking only worked when someone had at least an hour's head start. She had minutes at best. Sakura shoved whatever chakra she could spare down to her feet and pushed to go even faster, causing her muscles to scream in protest. She ignored the burn of the beginnings of chakra overuse and too much pressure on her lower limbs in favor of survival. Already she had hit the forestry areas that made up the outer edges of her beloved home and subsequently the wooded areas she'd grown up playing and training in. It was by no means the home stretch; she still had at least a couple hundred kilometers to go before she even reached the outskirts of Konoha itself. However it made her heart swell a bit and lent energy borne of happiness to her limbs.

It took no time at all to find some of the hidden trails that she had discovered in earlier years, ones that would give her a second here and there without taking one to use it. She didn't hesitate to use the network of trees and ditches that had worked so well in her favor over the years. They wouldn't help her nearly so well this time; Itachi and Kisame may have been one of the more destructive teams of Akatsuki, but she knew first hand they were no slouches at tracking and infiltration. Which meant that she had to make the few seconds she would gain from this count, and she had to keep finding and exploiting any advantage she could.

Otherwise she wouldn't be getting out of this alive.

As the meters of ground she gained grew at one of the fastest rates she'd ever run, the burn in her lungs and the aching protests in her muscles began to fade. The rest of her adrenaline had kicked in, and she was past the point of pain, and settled solidly into numbness. That was fine by her; the less she had to think about, the more she could focus on getting home.

And then the worst possible thing happened. She ran right towards a cliff.

If she backtracked, then she would run into her captors, but there was no land on the other side of the cliff, no chasm to cross. Panic flooded her, and for the first time since escaping the room, she looked back with wide green eyes and a racing heart. She couldn't see them, couldn't sense them. But she knew that for every second she stalled, they were just that much closer to catching her. She had two choices: follow the cliff face, which would take too much time, even if she wasn't already wasting more than she really had right now, or…

She could jump over the edge.

It was an idiotic idea; she knew that, and it was more than a lot risky. She had pretty much no chance of living through it, and if she did manage to survive the fall, she would sustain permanent damage. But it wasn't like the other option was any better; in fact it was worse. If Itachi and Kisame caught her, she was dead for sure, but not before they made her suffer for deliberately disobeying them.

She hesitated the barest of moments, had glanced back once more to gage how far away her pursuers were and realized they were finally within sensing range of her. She made a choice and jumped, so she was already in the air and falling faster every second by the time Itachi got to the edge.

A small smile, somewhere between triumphant and resigned to her most probable fate of death, curled her lips as she watched the deadly criminal's face. It stayed blank, but she saw the slightest flicker of anger in his crimson eyes before it was gone. And he did something she would not have suspected in a million years. Her escape eluded her with a harsh finality because he'd jumped off right after her.

With a few choice words, she looked towards the ground and then back at the man who, even in midair, managed to figure out how to start closing the gap between them. He would catch her before either of them hit the ground, and knowing just how infallible this particular criminal had a tendency of being meant that her survival rate had just gone through the roof. At least the one that applied to surviving the fall. Afterwards, who knew what would happen. The reality was that whatever break she had gone for had just been swallowed whole into an abyss of hopelessness. Her out was gone, and she had almost no control over what would happen next.

She squeezed her eyes shut in frustrated anger just before strong, masculine hands grabbed her shoulders and she waited for the impact. There was the barest whisper of a breath against her ear, like he said something that she just could not hear, and then she blacks out from the force of the collision.

* * *

The first thing to register is the dull, unceasing ache in the back of her head, like she'd hit it on something hard. She groaned softly and tried to move out of her uncomfortable position, but her limbs were trapped and her body unable to move more than a few centimeters in any direction. Essentially, she was stuck.

Already she could feel the frustration creeping back in. But then she remembered why there was a dull ache in the back of her head, why she'd gotten stuck, and why she'd been frustrated beforehand. Green eyes snapped open, seeing at first only darkness before they adjusted. She'd landed at the bottom of the cliff moments before Itachi caught her, and that's where she was now, squished quite literally between a rock and a hard place.

Under her was the dark brown of the rock floor. Above her was the full dead-weight of the criminal she'd risked torture and death to get away from. She'd failed. She'd tried her hardest and she'd failed. Sakura tried to push that strain of thought away long enough to realize that a couple of her bones were broken and she was feeling more than a few bruises that had formed quite nicely on almost every surface of her body. But what caught most of her attention was the fact that it was hard to breath with 58 kilograms of unconscious shinobi pinning her down. Her initial reaction was to push him off and ignore the pain that radiated from the inflicted damage on her body in an effort to escape again, this time with better chances. The rocks piled half a dozen meters high and surrounding them completely make such an action nearly impossible to perform though, and she didn't have the strength to maneuver well enough to make it work.

Frustration turned into agitated upset as the urge to cry at the hopelessness of her situation hit her like a ton of bricks to the gut. What the hell had she done to deserve this? What the _hell_ had she done to be in such a fucked up situation with no way out? Yes, she was a kunoichi. She knew that the things she did, even on orders, were wrong to the point of unjustifiable sometimes. But she also knew that she was a medic; she showed mercy, sometimes even at her own expense, and she did everything in her power to protect and serve her loved ones. Wasn't that enough of a balance that she didn't deserve to be trapped in such a cruel and hopeless cosmic joke?

Sakura took as deep a breath as she was capable of and tried to quiet her mind. Letting her emotions rule her reactions and senses in the presence of this particular man, even when unconscious, was a grave mistake, and she'd already lapsed for longer than she had any right to. Past the lumps and bruises–she'd already gotten used to the pain effectively enough to ignore it for the time being–she realized that the cloth covering her left leg was slowly but surely becoming drenched. But beyond dull, persistent pains, her leg was relatively unharmed; in fact her legs were only feeling the aftermath of being pushed so hard while she had run. Her back had taken the brunt of the fall. Superficial wounds meant at least a stinging sensation, and they didn't bleed that much.

It took her a split second to put two and two together. Itachi's right thigh was bleeding enough that even her clothing was soaking it up at a steady rate. He wasn't exsanguinating at a rate and amount that meant a severed femoral artery, but still one suggesting a deep gash that would become life threatening if not taken care of in the next twenty-four to forty-eight hours. If Itachi died whilst still holding her down at the bottom of such a steep cliff, then she would die of dehydration long before anyone found her.

Sakura didn't want to die. She had loved ones and a village to live for.

And the only way she wasn't going to die in this godforsaken place without a single hope was if Itachi didn't die while lying on top of her. She was going to have to suck up her moral sensibilities and her prejudices against the man who had taken her captive under threat of death and was using her as bait. She was going to have to staunch the bleeding and stabilize him enough so that when he woke, he could get them out of this perilous situation.

Her mouth settled into a grim line as her instincts and even logic kicked up at a fuss at not only _helping_ the notorious criminal, but sticking around to wait for him to wake up. She shoved it back down with the rationale that if she wanted to live–and she did very much–then she had to help him and pray to whoever would listen and answer that she could get away from him before he punished her for escaping.

In the back of her mind, the small pessimistic voice in her reared its head long enough to inform her matter-of-factly that such a wish was silly and unrealistic. After all, she hadn't been catching very many breaks lately, and that didn't seem like it was going to stop any time soon.

Still, she forced herself to reach a hand down between them, probing blindly but carefully for the source of all the blood along Itachi's outer thigh. Tentative fingers stopped when they reached the beginnings of a tear in the pant leg, and a little further prodding revealed that there was indeed an inane amount of blood seeping out of the wound. The experienced medic didn't need her eyes to see what she was doing, but she sorely missed her usual first aid kit, made specifically for injuries like this one.

Biting back a sigh, she shifted under the weight of the unconscious man so that she was as comfortable and relaxed as possible. Between the throbbing in her head, the aching in her muscles, and the nearly dismal level of chakra circulating in her system, she would need all the concentration she could muster. Her left hand found the slight indent where Itachi's back dipped due to gravity and her own abdomen not being the straightest of surfaces and stayed there. And because of her shifting, Itachi's face had become nestled in the crook of her neck, which she tried not to notice. Concentrate, she reminded herself.

And then she set her fingers to the task of uncovering and cleaning and sterilizing the painful though not immediately deadly wound. She was working almost on autopilot despite her completely devoted attention to the task literally at hand. It took nearly three times as long as in normally would have to sew the ripped skin together and then to set the skin cells on their way to knitting under and around the stitches. She blamed the accumulation of everything that had happened since she set out for her mission not so long ago and the insufferable man she was currently wasting her energy on.

However, even as the vicious thoughts registered in her mind, her hand wandered as far down Itachi's thigh as her fingertips could touch before sliding back up between them. Clearly she was still in what her brothers liked to affectionately call 'medic-mode,' and her hand was searching for any other injures to attend to with precision and care as she was used to doing. Before her consciousness could kick in enough to get her to _stop helping_ more than she absolutely had to, she felt the muscles under her left hand stretch and clench as the nuke-nin above her shuffled.

Itachi was waking up because she hadn't been able to stop herself from being a medic. She scowled at the notion because _of course_ every time she was even a little bit selfless it bit her in the ass tenfold.

He continued to shift, his whole body moving as his injury-induced groggy mind began processing this situation at hyper speeds despite not even being fully conscious. And then Sakura felt his entire body tense as he stilled completely. Her right hand had stopped at some point between her realizing she'd woken him and him stiffening, resting firmly on the hard musculature of his pectorals while her left remained snuggly in its place on his lower back.

She stayed as still as she possibly could and fought the urge to squeeze her eyes shut in the hopes that it would make reality go away.

After a few long moments where neither of them moved so much as a muscle, not even to breathe, Itachi's lips parted against the sensitive flesh on her neck directly over her pulse-point. His breath fanned, hot and distracting, over her skin, and it made her hold her own breath much more consciously. He slowly lifted his face away from her body, using his hands where he'd placed them next to her elbows to leverage his body the rest of the distance needed for them to come face-to-face. Her hand fell away from his chest, landing limply and ignored beside her hip.

Green eyes stared back at him, willing herself not to back down, not reveal any emotions, and not to look away even for a split second. And she waited, waited for him to process the situation fully, waited for him to make the first move. All the while feeling like the lamb that'd wandered into the sleeping lion's den and chosen to lick his wounds better only to wake the ferocious creature in the process.

Some part of her, the one that exuded pride and strength, tried to get her attention long enough to remind her that she wasn't some weak or helpless lamb; she could fight. Maybe not effectively against this particular lion, but that did not make her prey. She normally would have given way to this headstrong and resilient approach, but she couldn't seem to muster enough courage to square her shoulders and openly challenge Itachi.

So she waited.

Observant sable eyes stared at her a moment longer, taking her in, before he leaned in close enough to breathe on her ear. "Foolish Kunoichi." And in a whirlwind of motion that should not have left her head spinning the way it did, he had his arms under and around her as he climbed to his feet and hoisted her with him. Suddenly she wasn't trapped under his weight anymore, but instead pinned with his weight against one of the rock walls surrounding them.

She blinked involuntarily to adjust properly to this new version of 'stuck between a rock and a hard place' and found herself staring into the crimson color of Itachi's Mangekyou Sharingan.

She was so screwed.

A sinister sort of smirk curled his lips that made her shiver under his intense gaze. He pushed her further into the rock structure to the point that her breasts were crushed between their chests, and the posterior side of her ribs and vertebrae protested the painful abuse they were forced to take on. He'd caught both of her wrists while changing from horizontal to vertical position and had pinned them above her head with one hand. He'd also gotten one of his thighs between hers without losing his control over the range of motion of her legs.

That little pessimistic voice clamored for attention again, reminding her that sometimes her hard earned strength and quick wits and unique talents meant _absolutely nothing_ in the face of a predator who was better in every way and had recognized her as prey.

Itachi leaned in close again, this time until their noses almost touched. The expression on his face was not its default blandness, nor was it anger at her escaping or frustration at her suicide attempt. It was a mix of curious and triumphant, and predominately predatory. "You won't be getting away from me." He informed her in a tone expected of his expression. He tilted his head to the side slightly. "You gave up the right to even try."

Her breathing seemed to stop as her stuttering mind tried to connect what he had just said, tried to make sense of it and all its possible implications. He seemed content to wait for her to make the intended conclusions, his eyes gleaming the moment he saw the gears turning in her mind abruptly short-circuit and stop. Watching as her breath hitched in a gasp that wouldn't quite leave her throat when she finally put two and two together.

Her body went limp, and her brain seemed to break as she processed the conclusion she'd reached. Irrationally, she remembered the little bit of rationale she'd used to spark this particular result in the first place, and she hated herself for it.

What the hell kind of mess did she just get herself into?


End file.
